A Ghostly Crewmate
by ureshiitamago
Summary: Join Aave as she journeys with Luffy from the beginning, and gathers crewmates with him, all while haunting his ships! Rated T 'cause I'm paranoid...
1. Chapter 1

**Ureshiitamago: well, instead of updating my other stories (like I probably should), I decided to start on something that's been bugging me for the past few weeks, so here it is!**

**Aave: She doesn't own One Piece…or me.**

**Ureshiitamago: I made you.**

**Aave: No, no, no. the ****_unicorn_**** made me.**

**Ureshiitamago:….**

**Chapter 1: A Ghostly Friend**

Dying is painful. Dying means that you're leaving your loved ones behind. Sometimes it's a good thing, if you're old and grey, and can get no more out of life than you already have. But most times, especially for a 12 year old, it's the hardest thing ever. When you leave the friends you had promised to play pirates with the next day, even though you had the feeling you'd never see them again.

In a way, a child's mind is an incredible thing. The imagination is endless, and they never expect anything except for their loved ones love in return for loving.

They also seem to know things, the good and the bad, and see them not as bad or good things, but things that can't be helped. Like dying way before their time. Like I did.

I was born and raised in the East Blue, on an uncharted Island called Tom's Island by the natives that lived there. No one lives there anymore, except for me and the flora and fauna. I should probably introduce myself.

Hi. My name is Aave. (pronounced Ae-va). I had a last name, but forgot sometime 300 years ago. Aave D. something. I think it started with a T…I think… Moving on. (Not spiritually, otherwise I wouldn't be here…) (Or literally either for that matter…)

I am 422 years old, but mentally and physically I am still 12 years old. Ghosts can't age you see. I was told by the Shinigami that had come to collect my soul that for some reason, I couldn't move on. I think it was because I wanted to play pirates with my friends again…ah, I'm off topic.

Let me tell you a little about ghosts. Our colors are typically washed out, and any clothes we wear (we can change clothes) are white except for one of our choosing. We stop aging mentally and physically the moment we die. (Well duh.) If you would like an example, I'll be one.

I have washed out light brown hair that is wavy and goes down to the middle of my back. I have a fringe that makes a straight line across the top of my eyebrows and has two locks on either side of my face that are longer than the others that are curly. My skin is white when I make myself 'solid,' and translucent when I'm 'normal'. My eyes used to be sea blue, but are now washed out and look more like the horizon of the blue sky when the sun is at its zenith. I have pale freckles splattering my nose, and I like them. I don't know about my height or anything, because I float off of the ground almost all of the time, but I'd assume about the same height as any other average 12 year old child.

The one article of clothing that I chose to keep its normal colors was my hat. It's poofy on top, and has a small brim with a checkered ribbon running across the top. The poofy and the brim are the same sea blue that my eyes were, and the checkered part is grass green and sky blue. **A/N: Like an old fashioned newsboy-cap. Look it up if you don't know what I mean.**

This hat is special to me because my friends and family made it together for my 12th birthday. My clothes I can change whenever I want to whatever I imagine, but normally, I wear an oversized white t-shirt with white jean shorts, gloves that are tight on the hands, but poof around my wrists, the knee pads I used to wear for ice-skating in the winter, and knee high socks that are striped white and grey. No, I don't wear shoes, I don't need them since I float all the time. I have one accessory that I always wear (aside from my hat). It's a watch; it's circular and is on a necklace that I never take off. It's faded gold and light brown, and it doesn't tell time anymore, but I treasure it.

I'll explain more about ghosts. We can float and fly wherever we want, and we can float through things, but despite popular belief, we _can_ touch things at will. We can also feel things, smell things, and eat (though I still don't know where it goes). We don't starve, we don't get thirsty, and since we're dead already, we can't die in a normal way. We eat (if we want to) for the taste and nostalgia of life. We do all the stuff humans do for the same reason. The rumor of spirits who could hurt was started by a vengeful ghost. Normally, people don't even notice us when we walk amongst them. It's only when a vengeful ghost attacks someone that our bad name flies even higher. Unfortunately.

Most of us are good, but some are bad. But there isn't really a 'bad' or a 'good'. There are 'unhurt' and 'hurt'. I'm one of the 'unhurt' ones.

This is probably confusing, but over time, it will clear up. Besides, I'm a 12 year old kid mentally and physically. I don't think anything is bad or good. :P

Moving on to current life on a deserted island.

Normally, on a normal day, I fly around pretending to be a guy named 'Peter pan' that I heard about from a spirit from a different universe. This day, though, was different. I had flown up above the trees that had grown where my hometown had been, and was about to start fighting a 'Captain Hook' character, when I spotted a dot on the shore. I was curious, so I turned completely translucent, and floated down to see.

Pirates.

Normally, that's enough to scare someone out of their wits, but I'm a ghost, and I'm 12. Curiosity killed the cat? Hah! I'm already dead! *raspberry*

I hovered about ten feet in the air with a position like I was hanging on my stomach over a tree branch. Arms and legs pointed towards the ground, waist bent, head up. My hair, defying the law of gravity, floated around my hat, which was holding the majority of my hair down.

_Pirates huh…hmm?_ I had seen their Jolly Roger. It was a skull on its side on top of the crossed bones, and there was a heart bit in its skull. My gaze flicked down at a thunderous noise.

"WHO IS THE FAIREST PIRATE IN ALL OF THE SEAS?!" an extremely obese woman shouted. The force of the shout sent me pin-wheeling backwards a few feet. I lay on my back in the air for a few seconds before sitting up cross-legged and crossing my arms with a pout.

_That hurt my ears…_ I stuck my tongue out at the black haired lady even though she couldn't see me.

"That would be you! Alvida-sama!" the rest of the ships people shouted. I imagined a sword in my hand, and it appeared. I grabbed it and danced in the air.

_Yo ho yo ho a pirates life for me!_ I sang in my head. I swung the sword through the air a few times, imagining myself fighting off hordes of marines while the pirates disembarked and set up a shack by the woods. _Boom boom! PPhhhhhh thrthrthrthrthr shing! CRASH!_ I giggled as my imaginary foes ran away screaming. I let my sword fade away, and looked back at the crew. There was one who looked out of place, so I floated down to get a better look.

He was small and pudgy, wearing a marine striped t-shirt and navy blue pants and tennis shoes. He had round glasses perched on his nose, and pink hair. Pink hair. I blinked. Had a unicorn decided to bless him with the color when he was born? I lifted a lock and examined it closely. I could see no sparkles. Ergo, no unicorn had blessed him. What a pity. Disappointed, I let the lock drop, and flew back to my clearing.

The clearing was beautiful, and had flowers growing in it. I twirled around for a few minutes, pretending that I was a fairy in a fairy circle, and we were creating the most beautiful rainbow. I finished the dance by chasing after my hat, which was blown off my head. I flew after it, and crashed into something soft.

"AAAAH!" shouted a youngish voice.

"AAAAH!" I shouted back, grabbing my hat off of the ground and pulling it back onto my head.

"A GHOST!" it was pink-hair. I smirked and decided to play dumb.

"WHERE?!" I looked around in fake panic, trying not to giggle.

"YOU ARE!" he was pointing at me. I couldn't take it any longer, and giggled.

"Well of course I am, dummy!" I said brightly. "I'm not translucent because I choose not to be!" I smiled at him, and floated above the ground, my gloved hands resting behind my head. He gaped at me.

"Hi there, pinky! My name is Aave! You?" he appeared flustered for a few moments before responding rather politely.

"My name is Coby." He said, holding out his hand. "Nice to meet you Aave." I grasped it, and he shivered from the contact. Touching a ghost is apparently like jumping into an ice cold lake. Not that I would know. I _am_ a ghost, so I don't feel it. I noticed that he was sweating and his knees were knocking together. I crossed my arms and pouted.

"You can't be cold and warm at the same time." I said in my most pouty voice. He stared at me for a moment, all thoughts of hot or cold gone, and then laughed nervously.

"Well, I'm f-f-frightened see." He said with another nervous laugh. I was confused, and blinked a few times.

"What is there to be frightened about?" I asked curiously. He looked from side to side.

"Uum…you and…Alvida." He said this last name in a whisper. I laughed cheerily.

"You don't need to be frightened of _me_!" I said airily. "I'm _mostly_ harmless!"

"M-m-m-m-mostly?" the knock in his knees was back.

"Yup! Just don't touch my hat or watch, and we're golden!" I gasped as I thought of something. "Ne, ne, Coby?"

"Yes?"

"Do you think that if we were able to find the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow, the leprechaun would paint us gold?" I asked excitedly. My eyes had sparkles in them, and the air around me was shining with anticipation. Coby sweatdropped.

"What, like with a paint brush?" he asked. I nodded fast. Another sweatdrop appeared over his head. "I don't know…how old are you anyway?" I pouted, crossing my arms.

"There's two questions there, which do you mean?" I asked. "How long have I been around, or how long I was alive?" There was a pause as Coby stammered apologies and waved his hands in front of him.

"B-both I guess." He said after a while. I grinned happily at him.

"Well, I died when I was 12, and I've been around as a ghost for 410 years, so I'm 422 years old I guess." I watched as he fell to the side, and then laughed until tears were (figuratively, because I'm a ghost, duh) streaming from my eyes.

"You're funny, Coby!" I said as he stood up and stared at me with a shocked look on his face. I did a few somersaults in the air, and imagined a teddy bear.

"Poof" I said as the teddy bear appeared in front of me. I imagined a small top hat and cape for it, and a cane, and then attached them to the bear as they appeared. I looked over to Coby, and saw him looking through the trees in fear.

"What's wrong, Coby? Kuma." I asked in as deep a voice as mine would allow me to go. Coby looked back and saw only the bear moving on the ground. I was floating an inch from the top, invisible. He laughed for reals this time, and I found that I liked it when he laughed for reals better than he did when he was nervous.

"Is that you, Aave?" He asked, squatting down until he was face to face with the semi-translucent teddy-bear. I grinned, and made the bear bow.

"No, kuma. I am…" I paused, trying to think up a name, "St. Bearnaby Bearette Angelique Vann Marco the third, kuma." More sweatdrops appeared on Coby's head as I listed off the long name.

"Ok." He said, holding out his hand. "My name is Coby, it's nice to meet you, St. Bearnaby Bearette Angelique Vann Marco the third." I giggled, and placed my teddy bears small paw in Coby's much bigger hand.

"'Tis a pleasure, kuma. Would you be my friend, kuma?" I asked hopefully, looking up into Coby's face. It had been so long since my last friend…around 20 years, in fact.

"Of course!" Coby said with a smile. I laughed, and made St. Bearnaby Bearette Angelique Vann Marco the third do a little victory dance.

"COOOBYY!" A fearsome and irritating voice called out. Coby jumped, and I saw the fear that had almost vanished as he was talking to the bear return in an instant. I frowned as he turned to me.

"I have to go now, Aave, St. Bearnaby Bearette Angelique Vann Marco the third." I smiled as I made myself visible again.

"Can I see you again?" I asked hopefully. Coby grinned.

"Of course! We're friends, aren't we?" I grinned wider, and looked at Bearnaby. I concentrated until a furrow appeared in between my eyebrows.

"POP!" I shouted as Bearnaby became real. It fell through my hands onto the grass, and I picked it up and flew over to Coby's retreating form.

"Coby!" I called, almost bumping into him again. The small boy looked at me in confusion.

"Yes?"

"Promise to see me again?" I asked, holding out the teddy bear. Now that it was real, I could see that Bearnaby had fuzzy purple fur, round black bead eyes, and a lighter purple nose. His cape was red, as was his top hat perched smartly on his head. The cane attached to his paw looked like it was shiny metal of some kind. Coby looked at Bearnaby for a second, before taking it and hugging it.

"I promise!" He said.

"COOOOOBYY!" Coby jumped.

"I'll see you later, ok? I have to go before she kills me!" I smiled and waved after Coby and Bearnaby's retreating forms. He promised I would see him again.

And I did see him again. Alvida had apparently decided that my island was a great place for her base, and had permanently moved onto the beach. For two years we visited with each other, and I helped him to build an escape boat. (He did most of the building while I sang what he called nonsense songs and played with Bearetta, Bearnaby's sister.)

Two years later, Coby looked more grown up, but still was scared stiff of Alvida and her iron mace. All throughout those two years, I played pranks on the ugly lady. I deformed her mirror, rearranged her room while she was sleeping, replaced the salt with the sugar, and other things that other people would consider childish, but I thought were genius. Coby always kept Bearnaby tucked into his belt, and soldiered through the name calling thrown his way for it. It was a somewhat peaceful life, and then everything changed.

I was hanging over Coby and glaring at the ugly woman in front of us. I was invisible to everyone (excepting Coby), and made the most of it by pulling the corners of my eyes down and sticking out my tongue. I then pushed up the tip of my nose until it looked like a pig snout and made snorting noises. Coby was shaking. However, I suspected that he wasn't shaking because he thought that what I was doing was funny, but because he was scared of Alvida. I scowled at her. She had just finished beating up a crony with her iron mace for not dusting the bulwark. I thought it was stupid.

"Coby!" She planted the mace solidly onto her shoulder. "_Who_ is the _fairest_ throughout _all_ of the seas?"

"Not you, pig." I said, sticking my tongue out at her. Of course she couldn't hear me. I had learned early on that if I actually voiced my opinions so she could hear them, she would blame one of the crew….mainly Coby. Coby responded 'correctly'.

"Ahem…heh heh…" he scratched his head while he laughed nervously. My scowl deepened. "Why _you_ are…Lady Alvida." He said. "No one compares to you." I sighed and started to swim in the air.

"_As I was walking_ _down Paradise Street, to me, weigh, hey, blow the man down. A pretty young damsel I chanced for to meet, give me some time to blow the man down…_" I stopped singing as I saw Alvida kick Coby on the head. I felt anger surge through me, and the sky above the island suddenly became cloudy.

"Calm down!" I heard Coby whisper as he polished Alvida's shoes. I blinked, and the feeling was gone, as were the clouds. I tightly reigned in my emotions as Coby was kicked by Alvida again.

"THAT'S ENOUGH! YOU'RE PATHETIC!" Pig-Alvida shouted. I blew a raspberry at her. _Ppppphhhhhhtttthhh_

"Heh heh…sorry." My anger turned to worry as I noticed that Coby's cheek was bleeding. I hovered over him worriedly as Alvida gave him her next orders in a yell.

"IF YOU'VE GOT TIME TO GROVEL, YOU'VE GOT TIME TO SCRUB THE TOILET!" I scowled at her as I placed an ungloved hand on Coby's owie. He was getting better at not shivering whenever I touched him, and when he got hurt, my ghosty hand acted as a very good icepack.

"Yes M'lady…right away!" There was a pause as Coby held back tears. "…right away…" I kept my hand on his face as I moved with him off of the ship. Then I noticed something weird.

"I believe in genies!" I shouted, shooting over to a barrel that was beached. I flew circles around it, waiting for Coby to catch up.

"Genies?" Coby asked as he started to roll the barrel to the shed. I nodded, humming Bink's Sake under my breath.

"Genies come out of barrels…or was it bottles...and grant three wishes!" I said triumphantly. Coby laughed, and I grinned, glad that my friend was laughing for reals.

"Where'd you hear that one?" he asked. "I've never heard it before." I floated until I was in front of him and then turned around and flew backwards, kicking my unshod feet underneath me.

"From a ghost from another dimension." I said with a grin. She was the same ghost who had told me about Neverland. Second star to the right and straight on till morning. I especially liked Tinkerbell. Coby's eyes widened.

"There are other dimensions?" He asked in a wondering voice. I nodded enthusiastically.

"Yup! So unicorns named Bob are real!" I shouted this last bit at the sky, shaking my fist. A sweatdrop rolled down Coby's head.

"How do you figure that?" he asked as we reached the shed.

"I just know." I answered happily, breezing past the pirate in the doorway to get inside. I had actually met him, he was running across a rainbow to beat up the Leprechaun King because the King had stolen Bob's fruit…but that's a different story.

"What's _that_, Coby?" asked one of the pirates in charge of counting supplies. "Did a barrel of rum wash up the beach?"

"Rum? I thought it was a genie!" I pouted and floated up to the roof of the shed, stopping myself before I actually floated through it. _Genies are waaay better than _rum_. Genies grant three wishes. Rum just makes your head all spinney._ Coby rolled the barrel inside after a bit of one sided discussion on what to do with it. The three guys who were occupying the shed for the moment wanted to drink what was inside it. Coby was helpless to refuse.

"We're the only ones here." The fat one with stripey clothes was saying. "Just Coby and the three of us know about this." I snickered at his obliviousness.

"Yeah, you're right." The one who had been in the doorway said.

"And you aint seen nothing, right Coby?" Stripy said.

"Ahaha…right! I ain't seen nothing! Heh heh…please don't hit me." Coby responded shakily. _Bad grammer, and bad manners. This isn't how pirates back _then_ acted…_I crossed my arms and summoned Bearetta. She was wearing a 'Red Riding Hood' outfit. I yelped and almost dropped her when the barrel's top suddenly exploded and a person appeared shouting;

"THAT WAS A GREAT NAP!" The boy shouted. I stared at him wide eyed, and in the process lost the hold I had on my translucency. Suddenly, I was visible to everyone. I didn't notice this right away though, because I was busy staring at the barrel-boy. He was wearing a strawhat on his head that had a red ribbon running around it. His hair was black and messy, and he had a scar under his left eye. He wore a red vest that was held shut with three yellow buttons, and jean pants. He was still in the barrel, so I couldn't see the rest of him, but I was interested in his smile. It was happy-go-lucky to the point of stupidity.

"Hmm, looks like I survived somehow!" He was saying. His hands were clenched, and he was stretching them above his head. "I got so dizzy I thought I was gonna barf! Hahahaha!" Finally, he seemed to notice the people in front of him. "…?!" There was a pause, and his eyes wandered a little bit up to me. A look of surprise crossed his face for a moment, but he turned back to the people in front of him.

"Who are you guys?" He asked with a frown. _A genie?_ I thought confusedly. I tilted my head to the side and clutched tighter to Bearetta.

"WHO THE HELL ARE YOU?!" Shouted the three baddies in synch.

"WHAT WERE YOU DOING IN THERE?!" Shouted Stripy in Strawhat's face. Strawhat didn't seem to like that very much.

"BACK TO WORK YOU SCURVY DOGS!" Shouted the well hated voice of Alvida. I hear a sound like a _whup whup whup CRASH_ and then her mace destroyed most of the shed and sent Coby and Strawhat rolling into the forest and the direction of my meadow. I gasped and flew after them. _A genie?_ Ahead of me, I saw that Coby had come to a stop, and was now chasing after Strawhat's barrel. I caught up to him quickly and flew beside him, adjusting Bearnaby in Coby's belt so it wouldn't fall.

"Told you it was a genie!" I said happily. Coby fell, his arms out in front of him. I sweatdropped. "Are you okay, Coby?" We ran for a while longer and finally reached Strawhat.

"Um, are you ok? Are you hurt? After being knocked around so much, you must be-"

"Shishishishi! I'm fine, just a little surprised is all." Strawhat said. He seemed friendly enough. "My name's Luffy! Where am I?" Coby looked at me. Stra-Luffy looked at me. Wait…Luffy looked at me?

"Can you see me?" I asked tentatively, dreading the answer.

"Yup." He was very nonchalant about it. _Oh dear…_ I waved to Coby to answer for me.

"This island is the hideout of Ironmace Alvida, the lady pirate. I'm her cabin boy." I rolled in the air silently, and then poked Coby's head. "Hmm?"

"I'm going to sleep in Bearetta." I said, handing the now real bear to him. "Don't drop her or I'll haunt you." I waited until he nodded, and then I slid into Bearetta's now furry blue body and blacked out.

That's what I call it, black out. It's when a ghost needs to think about something, and so they black out for a while, literally dead to the world, to think about it. They need a 'host' though, and it's usually something that doesn't have a soul, like a doll or a stuffed animal. It isn't as creepy as it sounds. When a ghost blacks out in a doll or stuffed animal, the doll or stuffed animal doesn't move, or make any indication that it's housing a ghost. Black out is literally black out. I can't see or hear or move. It's a place to think. It's like moving on, except you don't. Move on, I mean.

When I woke up, I was in Luffy's hands, and he was holding Bearetta (me) up by her paws.

"Leggo." I demanded. Startled, he dropped Bearetta, and I floated out of her before picking her up and returning her to 'ghost' form. Then I dismissed her. I looked around. We were at the beach, and there was a small boat in front of us. I saw Coby by the boat, looking at me nervously. I hadn't seen that look from him since two years ago, and I didn't like it.

"What's going on?" I asked, looking at Luffy.

"I'm leaving, and Coby's comin' with me." He answered.

"Alvida?" he pointed back at the forest. I nodded, and looked at Coby.

"You're going to become a marine, aren't you." I said, as a statement instead of a question. Coby nodded. I looked at Luffy. "And you?" His grin eclipsed the sun. I wondered if it was possible that the tooth fairy charmed his teeth. I mused, it was possible.

"I'm going to become pirate king!" He announced proudly. I looked at him in slight shock, and rose several inches. I looked at the boat, and then back at the island. Alvida's crew were just casting off, and I knew that there wasn't any _real_ wildlife to speak of. I turned back to them.

"Can I come with?" I asked. "I've always wanted to be a pirate." Luffy grinned.

"Sure! Join my pirate crew ghostie!" I stuck my tongue out at him.

"No! But I'm going to haunt your ship until I find a crew to join." I said with a grin. I would join when he gave me no room to say no. He pouted childishly.

"But what about your memories here?" Coby asked. I looked at him blandly.

"I love memories, but I have my treasures right here." I pointed at my hat and watch. "And the island has just been a shadow for around 200 years." Coby looked confused. I smiled. "You'll see when we get far enough away."

I floated above the boat while we drifted away from the Island. Suddenly, it started to flicker, and then it disappeared. Coby gasped. Luffy laughed, and I settled onto the tip of the mast.

"_She was round in the corner and bluff in the bow, to me, weigh, hey, blow the man down. So I took in all sail and cried, "Way enough now" give me some time to blow the man down…."_

**This chappie has been redone!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Ureshiitamago: ^.^ hey thar! I'm back!**

**Aave: And so am I! **

**Ureshiitamago: We would like to thank**

**Aave: mks 12 98**

**Ureshiitamago: The Utterly Fabulous Z**

**Aave: and Magic126 for following**

**Ureshiitamago: or favoriteing this story!**

**Luffy: ureshiitamago doesn't own One Piece. Can I have some meat?**

**Ureshiitamago: *shoves fridge at Luffy.* Knock yourself out.**

**Luffy: Yay!**

**Ureshiitamago: Ah, I don't own the song "Blow the Man Down" either.**

_I floated above the boat while we drifted away from the Island. Suddenly, it started to flicker, and then it disappeared. Coby gasped. Luffy laughed, and I settled onto the tip of the mast. _

"She was round in the corner and bluff in the bow, to me, weigh, hey, blow the man down. So I took in all sail and cried, "Way enough now" give me some time to blow the man down…."

**Chapter 2: A Ghost of a Time**

I hummed Bink's Sake under my breath as I listened to the boys below me talking to each other.

"You must've eaten the fruit of the Gomu-gomu tree." Coby was saying. They had explained to me what had happened while I was blacked out, and I was happy that I was now haunting Luffy's boat. "Incredible!" I sweatdropped as I reached my favorite verse of Bink's Sake. _Normally, marines don't go around being impressed by pirates…_I thought, sipping the tea that was served to me by the Fairy Queen herself.

"But Luffy, if you're going after the One Piece…" I did a spit take, and looked down with wide eyes. "That means you'll have to enter the Grand Line." Coby went on. The boat rocked in the waves, and from my place on the tip top of the mast, I swayed several feet to each side.

"Yep!" Luffy responded airily. I felt like I was in a storm, and wondered if storms could play games…it could be possible.

"They call it the Pirates Graveyard!" Coby said. I could tell that he wanted to dissuade Luffy. I could also tell that he wasn't going to be able to. Hm…One Piece…I had heard that name before. From someone passing by my island definitely. I stared up at the tranquil blue sky where there wasn't a cloud in sight.

"That's why I'm assembling a _super crew_." Luffy calmly responded. Was it that one crew that drank a lot and thought I was a human kid? No. I held my hand up to my face, and giggled as a rainbow emerged through my hand.

"Starting with Aave." I looked down.

"I'm haunting your ship. I'm not on your crew, there's a difference." I shouted down at them, throwing the ghostly cup of tea at him. It passed right through him as he laughed.

"Oh yeah!" He turned to Coby. Luffy was perched rather precariously on the figurehead for someone who was an anchor. Luffy pointed at Coby. "That guy imprisoned at the Navy Base in Shell Town…what's his name?" I floated off of the tip of the mast to change my position, and then I started to twirl on the tip, pretending I was a world famous dancer.

"Roronoa Zoro." Coby replied. I hummed a few bars of Blow the Man Down, and brought out Bearetta to dance with.

"If he's a good guy, I'll let him join my crew!" Luffy said with a laugh. I got bored and floated down to where they were.

"Rock paper scissors!" I demanded, and Luffy started to play with me. There was some silence from Coby as he watched me lose over and over. I figured he was just processing what Luffy had said.

"NOW YOU'RE TALKING CRAZY AGAIN!" He finally shouted. I groaned as I lost again. "NEVER NEVER NEVER! THAT'S NEVER GOING TO HAPPEN! THAT GUY'S A DEMONIC BEAST!" I laughed, and did a somersault in the air when I finally won.

"YATA*!" I yelled happily.

"How do _you_ know?" Luffy asked Coby, absently patting my head. I made a cat face and started to purr. Coby looked at me, and a sweatdrop rolled down his head.

"I didn't think it was possible for someone to do that." He remarked. I grinned at him.

"I'm dead, I can do what I want." I said cheerily. "Cat's cradle!" I shouted, imagining up some string. "Poof!" "Pop!" Luffy and I started to play cats' cradle while Coby watched in slight amusement and exasperation.

**Day 2**

"…A demonic beast huh?" Luffy said, sitting on the figurehead again. I was staring at his hat while invisible, trying to figure out if I had seen it before or not. Did I? My face grew lighter. Didn't I? I frowned. Did I? I started the cycle over, unaware that I was becoming not invisible again. _Fluffy kittens wearing tutus._ I finally thought, giving up on the hat for a bit.

"Roronoa Zoro is his real name." Coby said, adjusting the top hat on St. Bearnaby Bearette Angelique Vann Marco the thirds head. "But most people call him 'Pirate Hunter Zoro'." Facts…factitions…factify…factitious…factilion…factamillion…

"He's like a blood thirst hound." Coby went on, looking up and adjusting his glasses and setting Bearnaby in his lap. "Roaming the seas, hunting men for the bounties on their heads…"

"Maybe he got lost?" I suggested, combing Margareta's hair. Margareta was the Queen of Ifnargal, and had the most beautiful hair in the land. I was her maidservant, and my job was to brush her hair until it shone. Coby laughed nervously.

"I don't think so…" He turned back to Luffy. "They say he's a demon in human form."

"Demons don't take human form. They're too arrogant about their own form." I said in a snooty voice, trying to sound like a noble woman's maidservant. I frowned at my attempt. Maybe I used too much snoot in my snooty? Coby blinked at me as I continued to comb Margareta's hair.

"Hmmm…" Luffy was also looking at me, but I couldn't read his expression.

"Oh, lady Margareta! Your hair is as beautiful as always!" I gushed to her. Both Coby and Luffy blinked in synch, and then Luffy laughed heartily. I ignored him, and continued to comb Margareta's hair. Coby went back to trying to dissuade Luffy from asking Zoro to join his crew.

"Luffy, he's a pirate hunter! Pirate hunters don't mix well with pirates!" Coby looked worried for our new friend. I looked up at the sun, which was uncovered by the clouds that were in the sky.

"I haven't decided whether I'll invite him to join my crew or not." Luffy said, turning to face Coby. "If he's a good guy, then I'll—"

"HE'S IN PRISON BECAUSE HE'S _NOT_ A GOOD GUY!" Coby interrupted. I finally finished combing Margareta's hair.

"Patty-cake!" I demanded from Luffy. He laughed and obliged.

It was night time, and I was staring at the stars in a trance. Well not really stars. They were pearls that a giant had dropped, and someday the giant would notice and come back to pick them up. Until that day, I resolved to stare at the stars until I couldn't take it. I looked down at the boys from my place on the mast. Luffy was lying sprawled almost on top of Coby, and he was snoring away, muttering now and then about meat. Coby was curled up into a tiny ball, and muttering now and then about marines. I giggled, and looked out over the ocean. According to Coby, we were only another day away from Shell town. I looked back down at Luffy.

Normally, ghosts could go wherever they wanted. Normally, they moved about as they wished. I looked back in the direction of my island. Except for me. I had been so attached to my island that I never let it go. Even after it sank beneath the waves, never to be seen again. What I had lived on, and what Alvida had found, was a memory, a shadow of the island. I had been told by passing ghosts that I had a lot of imagination. They never really guessed how much.

Over time, I began to notice that I couldn't move. Leave the island, I mean. At first I thought it was a fairy prank, and left it alone for a while. But then I tried to leave again. I panicked and was scared for the longest time. I couldn't leave, the island wouldn't let me. The product of my memory and imagination had become a nightmare I couldn't get out of, couldn't wake up from. How could I? I was dead.

After a while, I grew to accept that I wouldn't be able to leave, and I 'got on with life'. (Even though I'm dead.) Then Coby showed up, and brought with him stories of the outside world. He also brought friendship.

I began to realize that I could travel farther and farther outside of the island about half a year into his stay. This excited me, and scared me at the same time. When I went far enough out, I noticed that the island would start to flicker, like it was going to disappear. I resolved to stay until Coby left.

And then Luffy came. I looked down at Luffy from my perch.

"Thank you." I whispered with a smile, looking back up at the pearls in the sky. I didn't notice Luffy's smile grow a little bigger.

**Day 3**

"_I hailed her in English, she answered me clear, to me, weigh, hey, blow the man down. "I'm from the Black Arrow bound to the Shakespeare" give me some time to blow the man down."_ I belted out at the top of my voice. I was bored. Incredibly bored. I looked down at Luffy, who was taking a nap. An evil grin spread across my face as I got an idea. An awful idea. I came up with a wonderful, _awful_ idea. I imagined up several colors of markers, and floated quietly down to Luffy. Coby was in the back, steering the boat, and he looked at me curiously. I put my finger to my lips.

"_Sssshiii."_ And then I began working once he had nodded. I drew a yellow/orange handle bar moustache, and a pointy little silver beard on Luffy's face, and then I drew green eyes on his eyelids, and little swirls on his cheeks in pink. I had just finished drawing a red cat nose on his nose when he yawned and stretched. I squeeked, and popped invisible along with my markers, which I dismissed, and then I flew up to my perch as quick as a flash.

"_So I tailed her my flipper and took her in tow, to me, weigh, hey, blow the man down. And yardarm in yardarm away did we go, give me some time to blow the man down._" I warbled. Coby was trying very hard not to laugh, and failing miserably. Luffy looked at him inquisitively, but all Coby did was point at him face.

"You _rat_, Coby!" I shouted before falling silent with giggles. Luffy pointed at his face and then peered over the rail of the boat and into the water. I waited for the shout of anger, and was surprised with a loud laugh. Luffy was on the bottom of the boat, rolling around, and laughing his guts out.

"Wahahahahahahaa! That's great!" He laughed. "Did you do that Aave?" He called up to my perch. I popped back to not invisible, and grinned at him, tipping my cap in acknowledgement. He laughed heartily again, and proceeded to try and scoop water out of the sea to try and wash it off. Instead, he drooped over the side, and groaned.

"Soooooo…..tiiiireeed….." he moaned. My eyes widened, and I exchanged a glance with Coby.

"Pull him out!" My voice was high pitched and panicked, and Coby lunged across the small boat to pull Luffy back in. Luffy's face was half washed, and looked rather comical with only half a handlebar moustache. I hovered around them as Coby washed off the rest of the marker from Luffy's face. Finally, Luffy seemed to gather his strength back up, and sat up, apparently none the worse for wear. I, on the other hand, was flustering around, scared out of my wits, afraid that I had almost killed him.

"I'm sorry!" I wailed for the fifth time, sounding very much like one of those Wraiths that wail and drag chains across the floor in the attic of unsuspecting peoples' houses. Luffy laughed, and patted my head again. I was crying crocodile tears, and sniffing loudly.

"Its fine, Aave! No harm, no foul!" he said cheerily. I sniffed again and glumly imagined an execution. Or was it a memory?...No, it was an imagination.

"B-b-b-but…" he pulled my hat over my eyes.

"I'm fine!" I sniffed, wiping away tear, and then pulled his hat over his eyes. He laughed in surprise.

"Ne, Aave?" Luffy asked.

"Yes?" I said, finally getting control of my emotions.

"How did you die?" he asked. I stared at him in surprise. No one had actually asked that to my face before. I had told Coby when a year had gone by, and I had asked him if he wanted to know.

"I was sick." I answered. Luffy got a confused look on his face, and tilted his head to the side. "It was a gen-gen-genatic?"

"Genetic" corrected Coby. I grinned at him in thanks.

"Genetic thingie which made me feel weird." I elaborated.

"Weird how?" Luffy asked. I frowned as I thought. I didn't really understand much about the time up to when I died. I just knew that I was awake and looking out my window at the sea one minute, and then the next I was floating over my body and having tea with a shinigami.

"I felt heavy…like I was being pressed into the bed." I ventured. "I would also see things that other people couldn't…what did the doctor call them…halugenons?"

"Hallucinations?" Coby suggested. I nodded enthusiastically.

"Yeah! That!" I said, swimming through the air and humming randomly. Luffy nodded seriously.

"So, a mystery sickness." He said, like he knew what he was talking about. I laughed loudly as Coby fell to the side.

Later that day, we arrived at Shell town.

"We're finally here!" Luffy laughed, pointing at the city. "We made it to Shell town!" I floated above him, hand poised above his strawhat. I made a grab for it, but he ducked. I pouted, disappointed, and went after it again. I was invisible to everyone except for Luffy and Coby, so it probably looked as though Luffy had seen something on the ground and bent over to look at it closer.

"Yeah, we finally made it!" Coby sounded relieved, and I suspected that being cooped up on a boat in the middle of the sea with two childish people (even though I _was_ a child) for three days.

"Coby, you're amazing!" Luffy said, turning to Coby. He had a hand holding his hat on his head, and I was trying to find a way around it. I pulled Bearetta out of the air, and discussed my predicament with her quietly.

"Huh?" Coby asked, a little confused.

"You actually got us to our destination!" Luffy explained. He swooped again to avoid my attempt at freeing the hat from his hand. I growled and fell back. _Tactical retreat!_

"Of course I did!" Coby said, looking a little worried. "That's the minimal requirement for people who sail the seas." I flew up into the air a few feet, and then dived down until I was two inches above Luffy, and then I made a grab for his hat. I missed and flew through Coby instead, who turned blue from the cold.

"Oops. Sorry." I said, sweatdropping as Coby started to shiver and rub his arms. Coby coughed into his fist as soon as he regained his warmth.

"Luffy, if you keep randomly floating around, you'll never become a pirate." He scolded, "You should find a Navigator for your crew." I couldn't resist the temptation. I imagined myself wearing a stereotypical woman pirate outfit, complete with an eye patch and cutlass. "Poof" I swished the sword through the air as the other two watched me.

"I randomly float around, and _I'm_ a pirate! Arr!" I cried, flicking the cutlass around before imagining myself back in my normal clothes. "Poof" I was back in my original outfit. Luffy had sparkles in his eyes.

"Wow! How did you _do_ that?" his stomach growled… "I think about the Navigator thing later. But first, lunch!" He started off, and I followed, laughing at Coby's dumbstruck expression.

As Luffy and Coby walked down the street, I floated above them, plotting with Bearetta (whose real name was Lady Bearetta Bearnacle Orlanda Sardinia the fifth) on how to snatch Luffy's hat. I didn't really want to win, it was the chase that was fun and exciting, along with the plotting. I pretended that Bearetta and I were evil sorcerers, plotting on stealing the worlds treasure, the golden hat of Sunspot! The keeper was the hero Luffy, who was currently chowing down in a restaurant called Food Foo with his sidekicks, Coby and St. Bearnaby Bearette Angelique Vann Marco the third. I chuckled evilly, and then made a squeakier evil giggle for Bearetta.

"This is it, Bearetta!" I crowed in my best evil sorcerer voice. "While the hero and his sidekicks are eating, we can procure the hat of legend!" I announced loudly. Evil sorcerers always announced their incredibly evil plans loudly. They also cackled evilly after they were done announcing, so that's what I did. I threw my head back and cackled as evilly as I could muster.

"Yes!" I squeeked for Bearetta's voice. "And then we can conquer the world of hats!" I giggled for her manically.

"You _do_ know we can hear you, right?" Luffy asked, shoveling more food into his mouth. Bearetta and I stared at him for a moment. He looked extremely amused at the situation. Then I screamed.

"AAAAAAAH! Oh no, Bearetta! What do we do?! The hero and his sidekicks have heard our dastardly plan! Our plot is ruined!" Coby started to laugh, and then stopped, staring up at us critically.

"I'm a sidekick?" He asked dubiously.

"For now." I said with a wave of my hand. Luffy burped and sat back in his chair, finally done eating.

"Well Coby, I guess this is where we go our separate ways." He said, patting his stomach. Bearetta and I crept closer to the golden hat of Sunspot. "I hope you enjoy the marines and become a good sailor." He went on, most likely aware that Bearetta and I were within an arms distance of his hat.

"Thank you, Luffy and Aave!" Coby sobbed, crying into his arm. "And I hope you two become good pirates!"

"Even though we'll be enemies!" I said brightly, ignoring the fact that Luffy had grabbed my arm in time for his hat not to get stolen. Luffy let go of my arm, and I floated down until my striped sock enshrouded toes were barely brushing the floor.

"Hey, I just remembered…" Luffy said, holding up a finger, "that guy is supposed to be here—Roronoa Zoro…" There was a loud crash, and I whipped around to see all of the other restaurant customers against the wall, shivering with fright. There were tables upended everywhere. I grabbed my hat as it lifted of my faded brown hair, and plopped it back down on my head.

'_Maybe you shouldn't say that name here…'_ Coby suggested in a whisper. He continued to talk in a normal voice. "I saw a poster that said that Captain Morgan is at this base." There was another loud crash, and I watched in amusement and a little bit of apprehension as the other customers gave Captain Morgan's name an even larger scared reaction than Zoro's name had. We left the restaurant with laughter. Well, Luffy and I did, Coby looked scared.

"Shishishishi! What a great restaurant! I want to go back there again!" Luffy said, holding his stomach. I was swimming on my back in the air between Luffy and Coby, slightly invisible so that they could still see each other.

"Everyone is so jumpy" Coby said worriedly, "I'm getting a bad feeling about this…"

"I can understand why they'd be so nervous when they hear Roronoa Zoro's name—he could escape at any moment." Coby went on. "But why'd they get nervous hearing the Captains name?"

"Who knows?" Luffy said. "Maybe they just got carried away."

"…" I was still swimming on my back and looking up at the sky.

"WHY WOULD THAT HAPPEN?" Coby shouted. "I'm trying to think seriously here…" He looked at me. "What do _you_ think, Aave?" I smiled at the sky.

"The sky sure is blue!" I said happily. Coby grew shark teeth.

"THAT DOESN'T PERTAIN TO THE CONVERSATION!" he shouted while Luffy laughed.

**5 minutes of cracks and trying to steal Luffy's hat later**

"Ew. That's disgusting." I said, wrinkling my nose at the sight.

"It looks so big up close!" Coby said in awe. I crossed my arms and pouted, glaring at the ugly marine base with narrowed washed out blue eyes.

"Still ugly and disgusting." I said grumpily.

"I agree with you." Luffy said with a nod. He then turned to Coby. "Go on in, Coby!" he encouraged. Coby twiddled his fingers and looked slightly nervous.

"But I haven't mentally prepared myself yet…" he said in a shaky voice, "and those people sure were scared when they heard the Captain's name…" Luffy ignored him and ran forward, jumping onto the wall. "Luffy! What are you doing?!" Coby cried after him. I flew through the wall, coming to a stop at the other side. I looked up at Luffy.

"I wonder if I can see…" he said, glancing around, "the demonic beast from here." We each saw the figure at the exact same moment, and he motioned for me to go. I nodded, and flew towards the cross in the middle of the yard space, Coby's voice fading as I got closer.

I arrived there first, and to say that the man on the cross made a terrifying picture was an understatement. In my shock, I almost lost my invisibility, but quickly got back under control. The man had a black bandana tied onto his head, but I could see green sideburns if I peered closely. He was wearing a simple white partial button t-shirt, black pants, and black boots. He had a green Haramaki sash around his waist. I heard some noises behind me, and turned to see Luffy precariously hanging on the other side of the wall by his arms. Coby's head peeked up cautiously next to him, before disappearing with a frightened scream. Luffy didn't look too alarmed, so I didn't bother going back through the wall.

"….RORONOA ZORO….MENACING!" I only caught parts of what Coby said (rather, shouted), but what I did hear gave me the impression that this was, in fact, Roronoa Zoro. _Bounty hunters have green hair?_ I thought to myself.

"Aave!" Luffy called. I glanced back at him. "Move to the side! I can't see him!" I smiled, and slide to the side a few feet. I saw Luffy's mouth moving, but couldn't hear him. It must've had something to do with setting Roronoa Zoro free, though, because Coby shouted against that. I jumped a few feet in the air when the man next to me started talking loud enough that Luffy could hear him on the wall.

"Hey kid!" he called. His voice was deep and raspy. "Come over here…and untie me…I've been here for nine days, and _I can't take it anymore_!" A feral grin spread across his face, made even scarier by the blood running down his face.

"I'll make it worth your while." He continued, trying to cut a deal. "I'll capture someone with a big price on their head and give all the bounty to you." He shifted a little bit so he was putting some of his weight on his heels. His feet were kicked out in front of him, and he was tied to the cross so that all of his weight was on his arms.

"You can trust me." He promised Luffy. "I'm a man of my word."

"D-DON'T DO IT, LUFFY!" Coby yelled in fright. "AS SOON AS YOU UNTIE HIM, HE'LL KILL US AND GET AWAY! I JUST KNOW IT!" I looked at the frightening figure on the cross, and faintly heard his stomach grumble. _Hungry and with a head injury? That'd be cool…_

"He couldn't. I wouldn't let him." I heard Luffy say. He had a smile on his face, and his eyes were glinting.

"Hah?" Zoro had a dangerous look in his eyes. Coby seemed to think that Luffy had a big head, but I was too busy thinking about something else to think about something small like that. _Is being dead really that bad?_ I wondered, floating next to Zoro. 

***I did it**

**Next time; we meet a little girl! XD hope you liked it!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Ureshiitamago: *sings* Yo ho haul together, hoist the colors high! Heave ho, thieves and beggers, never say we die!**

**Aave: *giggle* I'm already dead, you silly mortal!**

**Ureshiitamago: Can it, you. It's time to thank the nice people. **

**Aave: Ok! We'd like to thank;**

**Sharkteeth, Gamer's Fantasy, Littlebirdd, Jonax Gale, redtippedquill, sakura-neko-kun, and Neo Gray-sama for following and favoriting this story!**

**Ureshiitamago: You did that well!**

**Aave: *toes ground and blushes* aaaaw, thanks!**

**Ureshiitamago: Also, here's a special thanks/shoutout.**

**Aave: Neo Gray-sama, thank you thank you thank you for the cover! We love it sooo much! *bows Bearetta's head* **

**Ureshiitamago: I'm dedicating this chapter to you!**

**Aave: Yay!**

**Ureshiitamago: Let's get started! Ah, and if you look up Rika post time-skip, that is the age that Aave looks right now. :) **

_ "__He couldn't. I wouldn't let him." I heard Luffy say. He had a smile on his face, and his eyes were glinting. _

_ "__Hah?" Zoro had a dangerous look in his eyes. Coby seemed to think that Luffy had a big head, but I was too busy thinking about something else to think about something small like that. _Is being dead really that bad?_ I wondered, floating next to Zoro._

**Chapter 3: A Ghostly Fight**

I pondered this question for a moment before hitting my fist to my palm in realization. _But they're _alive. I thought. _Of course they think that dead is bad!_ I shrugged. Death hadn't bothered me all that much, even in the beginning. I blinked at a _klunk_ that emmited from the wall area. I looked over to it, and saw a head protrude from the top of the wall. _Can people grow out of walls?_ I wondered absently as a girl who looked about my age _shhhhh_ed Luffy and Coby, then jumped over the wall. Coby was the first to react.

"HEY! D-DON'T GO DOWN THERE!" He shouted, "IT'S DANGEROUS! AAVE, STOP HER!" I pointed at myself, and then the small cute girl in front of me questioningly. Coby nodded vigorously, but I grinned and shook my head. I crossed my arms and stuck out my tongue.

"Nyah nyah, don't want to!" I said. Meanwhile, the girl had gone past me, and had stepped right up to Zoro. I heard Coby try to persuade Luffy to do something as I watched the little girl carefully.

She was younger than my current physical age, and had her hair up in pigtails. She wore a light blue and purple striped one piece dress with a white hood attached to it. On her feet she wore black shoes. I looked at my unshod feet, and then back to her shoes contemplatively. Then I shook my head, dismissing the thought before I thought it.

"Get lost." Zoro said, "do you want to get killed!?" I imagined a jump rope, and started to jump to Miss Mary Mack.

"_Miss Mary Mack Mack Mack_…"

"I made these riceballs for you!" The girl said with the cutest smile in the world on her face. "I thought you might need some food!"

"_All dressed in black black black_…"

"It's the first time I've ever made riceballs," she continued, "I hope you like them."

"_With silver buttons buttons buttons_…"

"I'm…not hungry…" Zoro said in a strained voice. "Now beat it, and take that stuff with you." I frowned as Rika's smile dropped off of her face.

"_All down her back back back_…"

"B-but…" Rika tried to persuade him, but he interrupted with a shout.

"I DON'T WANT IT! NOW GET OUT OF HERE OR I'LL STOMP YOU TO DEATH!"

"_She asked her mother mother mother_…" I started to move around the marine field while skipping rope.

"RORONOA ZORO!" an obnoxious voice shouted. I glanced over, and immediately wished I hadn't. I stopped skipping rope, and made a gagging motion with my hands, and then pretended to throw up. This guy didn't know the _meaning_ of the word 'matching'. I at least knew that my hair didn't match my hat. He obviously didn't know. I skipped rope back over to Zoro's cross thingie that he was tied to.

"_For fifteen cents cents cents…"_

"You shouldn't pick on little girls." Throw-up head said. "I'll tell my father on you!"

"_To see the elephants elephants elephants_…"

"Hmph." Zoro humphed, "Well…if it isn't the _idiot son_, living off of his daddy's tailcoats."

"_Jump over the fence fence fence…"_ I slipped the tidbit of information away for use at a later date, and fell forward so I could skip rope upside down. Right side up was becoming boring.

"Did you just call me an idiot?" Throw-up head asked, putting a hand behind his ear. He had two burly marines flanking him, looking as though they meant business. "A man in your position should guard his tongue…or he could lose it." I imagined a tongue king sitting on a throne, with Zoro guarding him. I giggled at the image.

"_They jumped so high high high…"_

"Little girl…" Throw-up head sneered, snatching up one of the riceballs she had made for Zoro. "Did you bring those riceballs for me? How thoughtful." The girl protested, but Throw-up head took a bite anyway. I watched while singing the next verse.

"_They touched the sky sky sky…"_ I laughed heartily when it was immediately spat out, a look of disgust spreading across his face.

"DISGUSTING!" he shouted, "ITS SWEET! THERE'S SUGAR IN IT!" He turned to the little girl. I had stopped skipping rope, and was instead discussing with Bearetta the different ways to kill him without leaving evidence behind. Bearetta came up with the more extravagant plans.

"RICEBALLS ARE SUPPOSED TO BE SEASONED WITH SALT, NOT SUGAR!"

"So we agree on feeding him to the sharks?" I asked Bearetta.

"Oh, yes!" I said for Bearetta in a falsetto. "Avast ye, mayte!" I shouted in my pirate voice, swinging an imaginary sword at Throw-up head.

"B-but I like sweets, so I figured sugar would be better…" The little girl said fretfully. My heart went out for her, and I decapitated Throw-up guy a few times in my head. I stopped, and stared in shock as Throw-up head guy slapped the remaining riceball out of the little girls' hands, and stomped on it. Fury started to sweep my vision, and I didn't hear anything that was said for a minute or so afterwards. When I got angry at my island, I would call storms. I didn't know if that was the same way here, but I didn't want to find out.

"…ow that brat over the fence." Throw-up head was saying. I took a few deep breaths, and hugged Bearetta to my chest. Evidently, I had gone completely invisible, and Coby was looking around the yard/field thing for me. I quickly lowered my invisibility to only Luffy and Coby, and then turned in time to see one of the Marines' who had accompanied Barf-face into the yard/field pick up the little girl and throw her over the wall. I wasn't too worried, because Luffy was on the other side, so I stayed where I was.

"My, aren't you a stubborn one." Barf-face said to Zoro.

"That's right, I'm going to last out the entire month." Zoro said proudly. "You just keep up your end of the bargain." Barf-head walked away, laughing obnoxiously.

"Wahaha! I wouldn't dream of breaking my word." Somehow, I didn't believe him. "If you survive out here for a month, then I'll let you go." He walked out of the gate, still cackling. "It'll be my pleasure, I'm sure." With that, he waved a hand at Zoro without looking back. He probably thought it made him look cool. It sooo didn't. I stuck my tongue out at his retreating back, and skipped in the air over to Luffy's side. He had climbed over the wall at some point during the conversation.

"_You_ still here?" Zoro asked. Luffy looked at me, and raised an eyebrow. I blinked, trying to figure out if he meant anything. Bearetta reminded me that now was a great time to try for his hat. I slowly reached forward, inch by inch, as Luffy and Zoro chatted. "Better not let Helmeppo's father catch you." Zoro warned, sounding as though he was mocking Bar-face. _Aave approves!_ I thought, punching the air with my fist.

"Look…" Luffy said, dodging my grabbing hand yet again. I pouted, and drew back to try once more. "I'm looking for good men to join my pirate crew. I already have one member." I shouted, becoming visible to Zoro, who looked like his eyes were bugging out at my sudden appearance.

"I AM HAUNTING YOUR SHIP! THERE. IS. A. DIFFERENCE!" I swung my arm up, and pointed at Luffy accusingly. Luffy just grinned, and turned to Zoro, who was still staring at me. I guessed it had to do with the fact that a 12 year old slightly translucent girl holding a stuffed teddy bear had appeared two feet off of the ground.

"So-" Luffy was interrupted by Zoro.

"Pirate crew? You think I'd lower myself to that level? No thanks! And why is she floating?" He nodded to me.

"She's a ghost." Luffy said in a dismissive tone. "More importantly, becoming a pirate is my dream! What's wrong with it?!" He looked at Zoro askance.

"You think if you untie me…" he glanced in my direction, looking a little puzzled still, "I'm gonna join your pirate crew?" he continued, looking back at Luffy. Luffy placed a hand on his hat as I lunged for it again. I clicked my tongue angrily, and kicked my feet, pouting at my failure.

"I haven't decided if I'll ask you yet…" Luffy said with a smile. "You've got a pretty bad reputation, you know."

"Bad reputation, huh?" Zoro chuckled. "Well anyway, I don't go for that kind of deal. I've got plans of my own for the future." I lunged for Luffy's hat again, and he ducked again. I snapped my fingers.

"Che, I was close!" I shouted, holding Bearetta high in the air. "But I failed!" I acted fainting dramatically. Zoro sweatdropped.

"Is there something wrong with her?" Zoro asked Luffy, who shrugged with a grin as he watched me commit fake seppuku. Zoro 'ahemed' to get Luffy's attention.

"I don't need your or that ghost's help." He said. "I can get out of here on my own. All I have to do is last here for a month," he indicated the yard/field with a roll of his head, "then I'm a free man. Captain Morgan's idiot son promised me." I wiped the imaginary blood off of my clothes, and flew back over to Luffy.

"All I've got to do is survive for one month." Zoro repeated, a predatory look in his eyes and grin. "Then I'll be free to pursue my dream."

"Hmm. I see." Nodded Luffy. "I don't think I could last one week without food."

"Me and you are different. I've got more willpower." I raised my hand, making an 'ooo oooo ooooo' sound. "What?" he snapped at me. I grinned.

"I could last forever without food!" I exclaimed, throwing my arms out wide. A tic mark appeared on the side of Zoro's face.

"OF COURSE YOU CAN!" he shouted. I 'meeped' and hid behind Luffy. "YOU'RE A GHOST!" I pouted, and stuck my tongue out at him. He deliberately ignored me, and looked back at Luffy.

"Go look for a crew elsewhere…" Luffy turned to walk away. "…hey, wait a minute." Luffy stopped and looked back. I was making various faces at Zoro, who steadfastly ignored me, though I could see the tic mark growing on his face. This amused me greatly.

"Pick that up for me." Zoro nodded down at the trodden on no-longer-riceballs. Luffy made a face as he picked it up, and I grinned and copied it at Zoro.

"You're not going to eat it!?...It's more of a dirtball than a riceball now…" Luffy dangled one of them in the air above his hand and stared at it. "I know you're hungry, but this—"

"Desperate." I remarked, making my nose into a pig nose.

"Shut up!" Zoro opened his maw to an impressive degree. 'Aah!' "Just shut up and feed it to me! And don't miss one grain of rice." I quit making faces, and watched, fascinated, as Luffy dropped the dirtballs into Zoro's mouth. Instant effect! Zoro started sputtering and choking, but he ate it all. He coughed after he was done, and I noticed that he was sweating.

"I told you it was mostly dirt.." Luffy said, crossing his arms. I was reminded of a teacher I had when I was alive. "You wanna kill yourself?" I switched Bearetta's dress to a more frilly and pinkish one.

"T-tell the kid…" Zoro rasped between coughs.

"Hmm?" Luffy leaned in slightly to hear better.

"Tell her I said it was delicious. Tell her I ate it all." Luffy and I grinned at each other. _He's secretly a softie! _I thought gleefully. I clapped my hands, Bearetta safe in the crook of my elbow. Luffy left soon after, but I stayed to keep Zoro company (torment him some more). He glared at me fiercely.

"Why are _you_ still here?!" He asked. I grinned, and flew around him a few times before responding.

"Play with me!" I demanded, imagining up a deck of cards. He sweatdropped.

"I can't exactly _move_ right now, kid." He said with a sigh. I pouted, and made the cards float in front of him.

"You don't have to." I whined. He still wasn't agreeing. I sighed. I didn't want to have to do _that_. "Pleeeeeaaaase?" He _still_ didn't relent. I muttered a curse on all bandanas, and used _that_. I made my eyes wide and teary, and made my bottom lip quiver just the tiniest bit. _Muhahahahaa!_ It worked.

Later, I threw my imaginary cards into the air in exasperation.

"How do you keep winning?!" I cried. Zoro grinned evilly.

"I have good luck." He said, nodding at the cards. "This is also payback for the puppy-dog eyes from earlier." I straitened up, and pointed at him.

"It isn't _my_ fault you are susceptible to the power of _the eyes_!" I announced in a superior tone. I was practicing for becoming a Lady in the Fairy Queens' court. Zoro's grin widened.

"It _is_ your fault that you used them in the first place." He countered. I pouted, unable to think up a comeback, and then summoned the markers I had used on Luffy earlier that day. Zoro's eyes widened comically as I uncapped the pink one.

"What are you going to do with those?" He asked. I detected a smidge of fear in his voice. I laughed like how I thought 'Captain Hook' would laugh. It was very evil indeed.

"Wouldn't _you_ like to know!?" I cried, bringing the marker to his face. It had almost made contact, and Zoro's eyes were bugging out beyond what was humanly possible, when I was plucked out of the air, and tucked under an arm. I looked up through my fringe, steadying my cap on my head. It was Luffy. My lower lip jutted out, and a made a noise like 'poo poo'. The markers vanished, and Zoro relaxed.

"Hey." Luffy said casually, holding up his hand as a 'hello'. He was still holding me under his arm. _How in blazes is he able to touch me?_ I thought curiously.

"You again." Zoro said. He sounded uninterested. "If this is about me joining your pirate crew, my answer is still _no_!"

"Call me Luffy!" Luffy replied. I assumed that he was ignoring everything that was just said to him. He shifted me into a piggyback, and I whooped in delight. I hadn't had a lot of piggyback rides after I died. "I'll untie you if you join my pirate crew, ok?"

"You don't listen, _boy_." Zoro spat at him. I slapped my hand on the top of Luffy's head repeatedly.

"Luffy isn't a boy!" I declared. "And Bearetta agrees with me." I poofed Bearetta out of the air, and made her nod. Zoro sweatdropped.

"Whatever. I've got my own mission…and it doesn't involve becoming a stinking pirate!" He glowered. I blew a raspberry at him. _Pppphhhhhthh_

"You're too good to be a pirate?" Luffy asked rhetorically. "You, a bounty hunter? Whom everyone thinks is some sort of demon?" I rested my chin on Luffy's shoulder, and opted to stay out of this conversation. It sounded serious. I started to swing my legs back and forth as I paid rapt attention to the conversation.

"I don't care what people think." Zoro said. The atmosphere suddenly became heavier. "I live by my own code…I've never done anything I regret, and I don't intend to in the future." Luffy said nothing. "Which is why I'll never be a pirate." There was a moment of silence as the atmosphere grew heavier and heavier until Luffy turned away. I giggled at the sudden movement. I was suddenly taken back to when my father would give me piggyback rides. I banished that thought.

"Sorry, but I've made up my mind." Luffy said huffily. "You're gonna join my pirate crew!" I laughed loudly as Zoro shouted at Luffy.

"I DON'T CARE WHAT YOU'VE DECIDED!"

"I've heard you can use a sword." Luffy said, abruptly changing the topic, and turning back to Zoro. I giggled and tried to stay upright as I swayed back and forth.

"Hmph." Zoro looked like he was pouting. "If I wasn't tied up, I'd show you…"

"So where are your swords now?" Luffy asked. I started to braid the hair on the back of his head.

"They took 'em from me. The captain's idiot son…those swords are my dearest treasures next to my life." I finished one braid, and moved onto the next section.

"Hmmm…_treasures_ huh…too bad they took 'em." I froze in my braiding at Luffy's tone of voice. _I hope he knows what he's getting into…_ I thought as I snuck a peek at Zoro. _Poor Zoro…_

"I know." Luffy let go of one of my legs to point at Zoro. I squawked and wrapped that leg around his torso so I wouldn't fall.

"I'll get your swords from the idiot son!"

"What?"

"Then if you want your swords back, you have to join my cre-"

"YOU LITTLE RAT!" Zoro shouted. _Ooooh, shark teeth._ Luffy grabbed y leg again, and laughed as we ran in the opposite direction of the fortress.

"See ya soon!" He called to Zoro. I whooped happily as he ran. He climbed the fence as I hung on like a koala, and screamed in delight as he jumped down. I was giddy with happiness, and was laughing madly as Luffy ran towards the fortress. He stopped, to my dismay, at the front of the fortress, and started to look around. I slapped the top of his head a few times, then sighed when he didn't start moving again, and propped my chin on his shoulder.

"That's funny…" Luffy remarked.

"What is?"

"There aren't any marines around.."

"Maybe they're in a meeting, plotting on how to foil pirates once and for all?"

"Maybe, but that means that no one is around to help us find Zoro's swords…" He hummed, thinking. I looked around, and it was true, there was no one in sight. Just then, the both of us heard a _klunk_ from the top of the building.

"Maybe they're up there, trying to make rainbow clouds that rain honey?" Luffy laughed at my suggestion, and then bent down, coiling to shoot his arms up. I let go, and floated a little before starting to fly up. I looked back down at him, and shot out of the way as one of his hands went rocketing by me, followed by the rest of him.

"Gomu gomu no…ROCKET!" I followed after him as fast as I could, pretending that I was an albatross. I reached the top as a giant statue came crashing down, cracking in half. I flew over to Luffy.

"This is your fault?" I asked, pointing at the broken in half statue. The man whom the statue was modeled after looked livid. Luffy sweatdropped, and held up a hand.

"Um…sorry…" he said lamely. I laughed, and rolled a few times in the air. Sorry didn't seem to cut it this time.

"SEIZE HIM! I'LL HAVE HIS HEART!" The man-whose-hand-was-an-ax shouted. My nose wrinkled.

"To eat? Eeeeewww." I stuck my tongue out in disgust. There came a familiar voice from the back of the marines who were running towards us with guns and/or swords.

"DADDY! THAT'S THE RUFFIAN WHO HIT ME! IF YOU HAD KILLED HIM, THIS NEVER WOULD HAVE-" We didn't find out what he was going to say next, because Luffy grabbed him and pulled him through a convenient door to the lower floors. I just floated through the roof into the hall below to catch up with Luffy.

"Where are Zoro's swords?" Luffy asked as we ran from marines. I flew beside him, this time imagining that it was a horde of man-eating savages who were after us, and we were the shipwrecked victims.

"I-I'LL TELL YOU!" Helme—Barf head relented. "JUST STOP DRAGGING ME!" Luffy came to a sudden halt, and I flew on a few feet before stopping and turning around.

"Ok, tell me." Luffy demanded.

"They're in my room!" Barf-head said, gasping and crying. "We passed it a while back."

"You should've told me!" Luffy exclaimed, punching Barf-head in the face. I cheered Luffy on. "You're wasting time!" There was some _klick_-ing of guns from behind us.

"DROP THE CAPTAINS' SON, OR WE SHOOT!" Luffy stared at them for a moment before replying.

"I don't want to." He said bluntly, and then held Barf-head up in front of him, and ran towards the marines with the guns.

"Ok, go ahead and shoot!" He said as he rocketed towards the now panicking marines.

"AAAAAAH! DON'T SHOOT! DON'T SHOOT!" I flew through the marines, causing them to drop to the ground, skin blue.

"That'll only stall them for a few minutes!" I called to Luffy.

"That's all that I'll need!" He called back. We stopped at a door that was covered in flowers. Both Luffy and I sweatdropped.

"He's more girly than I am…" I mumbled. I floated partway through the door, and saw three katana's leaning against the far wall by the window. I pulled out.

"There are swords in there." I reported, clicking my heels together. (Even though I didn't have any heels that went '_click_') Luffy nodded, and burst through the door, running over to the katana's immediately.

"But there are three swords?" Luffy said, pointing at them and looking at me in confusion. I shrugged, pulled Bearetta out of my hat, and straightened her dress.

"Which ones are Zoro's?" He asked Barf-head, before noticing that he was knocked out. I glanced out the window, and a thrill of fear went through me. Immediately, I flew with all of my speed through the window, ignoring Luffy calling after me, and rushed down to where Coby and Zoro were. That wouldn't have normally gotten me scared, but the amount of blood on the ground, and the red/black stain on Coby's shoulder made me more frightened than I had ever been in my life. There were two rows of marines facing my friend and new friend, holding guns, and pointing them at my friends. I flew through the row in the front, and felt a small triumph as they fell from the extreme cold, and made for the other row.

I was too late, however, and I cried out in anguish as the bullets flew towards Coby and Zoro. My fears were short lived, as Luffy dropped into the path of the bullets, and took them all for the two people behind him. At that moment, I never felt so helpless and relieved in all of my life and death years combined. Helpless, because I couldn't stop the marines from firing, relieved because my friends were safe. And hopefully bullets couldn't kill Luffy. I crossed my fingers, and toes, biting my bottom lip. I cheered as Luffy's skin stretched far back, but didn't break.

"BULLETS CAN'T HURT ME!" Luffy yelled as he bounced the bullets back to the marines. "HAHAHAHAHAHA!" I laughed with Luffy, and flew over to Coby, who had fainted. I placed a hand on his head, and watched the fight from the back.

"WHAT ARE YOU?!" Zoro shouted at him, looking astounded at what just occurred. Luffy turned back to face us. His face was determined and intense, and he grinned.

"I'm the man who's going to become the Pirate King!" In that moment, I believed him, and I knew that Zoro believed him too. Luffy walked over to Zoro, and continued talking in a more normal voice, though it was thick with excitement at the prospect of a fight. I felt Coby begin to stir under my palm, so I unpopped my hand, and took it away from his forehead.

"So, which swords are yours?" Luffy asked, holding the swords out for Zoro to inspect. "I didn't know, so I brought all three…" I floated over, and inspected the ropes that bound Zoro to the cross.

"They're all mine." Zoro said, tracking where I was with his eyes. "I practice Santoryuu, three swords style." I took a second to ponder that. Where would he hold the third sword? _Maybe he has a third arm…_ I imagined Zoro with another arm protruding from his chest, and giggled.

"Ne, ne, Zoro?" I tapped his head to get his attention.

"What, kid?"

"Do you have three arms?"

"NO!"

"Aaaawwww…" I pouted, returning back to the ropes at hand.

"If you fight the Marines with me here and now, in the eyes of the Government, you'll be one of the bad guys!" Luffy grinned, still holding onto Zoro's swords. "Of course, you could obey the law, and let the Marine's kill you!" I laughed as I examined the knots. Luffy really wasn't letting Zoro go!

"You must be demon spawn!" Zoro growled with a grin. "But I'm not ready to die without a fight! All right, Damnit! You've got yourself a pirate!" I whooped, and threw imaginary confetti in the air as Luffy danced around.

**Aaand this is where I end it for now! XD again, thank you, Neo Gray-sama, for that awesome cover photo! **

**Later lovies! Ciao for now!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Ureshiitamago: Heeey guys! So, as some of you know (maybe), I was sick last weekend. I had wanted to update this one, as well as Spirit Contract, twice, but it was a no go, and my mum took my computer from me. :(**

**Aave: But it's all good now, right? *hides behind Luffy* you're not going to get me sick by being near me, right?**

**Ureshiitamago: I'm over it now. And no, because you're already dead. **

**Aave: Oh, phew! *wipes brow* we would like to thank**

**8-bit pirate, InnerFan, loveredhairedshanks, Alynn-Aorels, bored kid 48, pinkus-pyon, Mylittlepirateking, Maistyria, jackn37, and XxHeartMenderxX for favoriting/following.**

**Also, I would like to thank The Utterly Fabulous Z and pinkus-pyon for their reviews, and Neo Gray-sama for constantly reviewing! ^w^ **

**Ureshiitamago: There ya go! Before I forget, Disclaimer: I don't own One Piece!**

**Aave: Onwards!**

_"__You must be demon spawn!" Zoro growled with a grin. "But I'm not ready to die without a fight! All right, Damnit! You've got yourself a pirate!" I whooped, and threw imaginary confetti in the air as Luffy danced around._

**Chapter 4: A Ghostly First Mate**

"Really?! You'll join my pirate crew?!" Luffy shouted in excitement as he thrust his fists into the air. I threw more confetti into the air, and imagined that they were fireworks.

"Wow! So pretty!" I exclaimed. The Marines sweatdropped as they watched.

"Is she for real?" One of them asked.

"YES!" I shouted, hitting my hand to my chest. I then pointed to them. "I am as real as you are!"

"I don't have much of a choice, now untie me." Zoro said, sounding irritated. I made a face at the Marines, and then floated back to where I had been inspecting one of the knots tying Zoro's left arm to the cross.

"What _is_ he?" One of the Marines stuttered.

"Bullets bounce right off him! And the girl, she floats!" Another said.

"They are no ordinary humans!" Exclaimed Ax-hand man. "They must have eaten Devil's fruits!" I gave him thumbs down, and stuck my tongue out at him.

"_I'm_ a ghost!" I said. "I didn't eat a devil's fruit!" There were some unsettled murmurs among the Marines.

"C-CAPTAIN! THEY'RE UNTYING ZORO!" One of the marines shouted. I pulled at the knot I had chosen half-heartedly, and then imagined a small pen knife. "Poof." "Pop." The knife became real, and I started to saw my way through the knot. My tongue protruded as I concentrated, and my eyes narrowed as the knot started to come undone.

"**IF BULLETS CAN'T HURT HIM, THEN USE YOUR SWORDS!**" shouted Ax-hand man. The remaining Marines that were left after I 'froze' the others drew their swords and ran at us with a '_HYAAAAAAAAAH!' _I screeched in Zoro's ear, and started to saw at the knot faster. Sure, I was already dead and couldn't die again, but people running at you with the intent to kill is always scary! Like this scary; O_O !~ Meanwhile, while I was freaking out and the Fairy Queen popped into existence to help;

"Ugh, these knots are too tight!" Luffy said, frowning and sticking out his bottom lip in a pout.

"C'mon! The ghost girl is faster than you!" Zoro shouted.

"NO, FAIRY QUEEN! THE KNOT DOESN'T UNTANGLE THAT WAY!" I yelled. Zoro sweatdropped.

"JUST HURRY UP!" He shouted to Luffy. I noticed Coby sit up, and then notice the Marines charging at us.

"WHAT?" He shouted. "LUFFY! ZORO! AAVE! LOOK OUT!"

"THE ARM IS FREE!" I shouted, holding up the rope that I had cut with the Fairy Queen in triumph. The Fairy Queen kissed me on the cheek, and then popped out of existence.

"I got the other one free!" Luffy said.

"JUST GIVE ME MY SWORDS!" Zoro said, I could tell that he was slightly panicking now from his glances towards the marines.

"**THOSE WHO DEFY ME MUST DIE!**" Ax-hand man shouted.

"ALREADY DEAD!" I shouted back. I didn't know if he heard me. There was a _KLANG!_ And the descending swords of the marines were stopped by Zoro and his three swords. I noticed with some disappointment that Zoro held the third sword in his mouth.

"Aaaw, no third arm." I complained.

"SHUT UP!" Zoro yelled over his sword. _I wonder how he talks…_I wondered.

"Wow. HE'S COOL!" Luffy shouted. I imagined stars in Luffy's eyes.

"The first one who moves…" Zoro warned the marines, glaring at the, "_dies!_" Said Marines started to cry. '_Eeek!'_

"Speech! Speech!" I cried, punching the air and flying around him and the Marines.

"SHUT UP!" He growled around the sword in his mouth. His eyes flicked back to Luffy. "All right, so I'm a pirate. I gave you my word. I've fought the Navy; therefore I'm officially an outlaw." He said. "But hear this; I have a mission to fulfill!" Luffy instantly started to look serious.

"I'm going to be the world's greatest swordsman! All I have left is my dream!" The atmosphere grew heavier, and no one talked or moved. All we could hear was Zoro's voice.

"My name may be infamous…but it's going to shake the world!" Luffy patiently waited for him to finish as I floated above him, listening to this declaration that I thought I had heard somewhere before. Not the same speech, but a similar one.

"BUT YOU ARE MAKING ME BECOME A PIRATE! IF I HAVE TO ABANDON MY DREAM FOR ANY REASON…THEN I'M GOING TO MAKE YOU COMMIT HARAKIRI!" I could feel the weight those words held, and for a minute, couldn't find the breath to talk.

"The world's greatest swordsman? That's great!" Luffy exclaimed with a smile. "And it's fitting since your new boss is going to be the King of the Pirates! Anything else would make me look bad!" I smiled at Luffy's declaration.

"Hmph. You talk big." Zoro muttered. I giggled, and flew through some of the marines to relieve a bit of the weight on his swords.

"WHY DO YOU HESITATE?!" Yelled Ax-hand man. "HACK THOSE BRIGANDS INTO MINCEMEAT! NOW!"

"Zoro, duck!" Luffy shouted, winding up to kick.

"Gomu gomu no…" His leg extended and he slammed it into the marines as Zoro ducked. '_WHACK!'_ "**WHIP!**" The marines were tossed back to where Ax-hand man was standing.

"Wow!" Coby exclaimed, shaking his fists like I do when I find candy. "He's incredible!" I nodded in agreement, slight jealousy working its way through me. I could only make people feel cold, and that didn't last very long either. Luffy was the only person I knew who could grab me at will. I frowned. _I need to become stronger…_

"What the devil _are_ you?" Zoro asked, glancing behind him at the marines, expecting them to attack again.

"He's a rubberman." I answered for Luffy absently.

"A RUBBERMAN!?" One of the downed marines gasped.

"CAPTAIN, THEY'RE TOO MUCH FOR US!"

"IT'S _HOPELESS_! WE CAN'T FIGHT A RUBBERMAN…"

"…AND THAT DEMON RORONOA ZORO AT THE SAME TIME!" Luffy and Zoro stood where they were, looking epic to the point where stars started to emerge from my eyes. I slapped my cheeks, and shook my head to snap out of it. When I did, I heard Ax-hand man say something that made my blood run cold. (Well, figuratively anyway, seeing as I was already dead.)

"Hear me!" He growled, turning his back on his men and us. "All you cowards who were whining just now…will shoot yourselves in the head." My mind flashed back to the first scary ghost I had ever met.

_Flashback!_

_The village was slowly dwindling down to only a few people, everyone wanting to leave the island because of me, the residential haunt. It wasn't that I was scary; it wasn't that I did bad things; it was that I was still there, even after I had died from that illness. I understood why the people (especially my family) were creeped out, more than I would have if I were still living. Being a ghost really put ones views into perspective._

_The few people who remained in the village were the old folk, who didn't mind having me around, because I provided a kind of constant entertainment for them in their old age, what with me playing with imaginary friends, and 'poof'-ing things into ghostly existence to play with. _

_It was sunny out, and I was flying through what had been the trade center, accompanied by the Fairy Princess (later the Fairy Queen as a result of rebellion). I was doing aerial spins and flips, having the time of my life, and making the old folk who still set up their stalls there laugh. I had just finished a triple back-spin, and won the contest, when the sky turned dark, and I felt like I was frozen, unable to move. The Fairy Princess had disappeared, and the old folk had collapsed onto their stall tables, either unconscious or dead. _

_ "__Wh-who's there?" I called out, trying to stop my shudders and shakes. I had never felt so scared since my friend Massie told me a ghost story by candlelight. _

_ "__Da…dam…damn them!" It was a gravely and somewhat strained voice that rose from a whisper to a shout. If there was ever a time that I wanted my mommy to pick me up and wrap me safe in a hug, it was now. _

_ "__Mommy." I called out weakly, even though I knew she wouldn't come. It was a reflex action, calling for my mother when something was scary. But somehow, knowing that she wasn't there for me and that she wasn't coming, made me grow a weak backbone. _

_ "__Who are you?" I called out in a stronger voice, inwardly trying to find the light that the Fairy Princess had said to find if there was any problem. It was like groping for a match in a messy room in the dark. "Why did you make the old people fall asleep?" _

_ "__DAMN THEM!" I whimpered as the voice grew louder. "DAMN THEM! DAMN THEM!"_

_ "__Why?" I surprised myself by asking. Finally finding some movement, I clapped my hands over my mouth, and my eyes went wide. There was a moment of silence from the _thing_ that was near._

_ "__Why?" It repeated. "WHY?" I couldn't stop a whimper, and I shrank further to the ground, thinking that if I had to, I would just go through the earth. _

_ "__I'LL TELL YOU __**WHY**__!" its voice was thundering now. "__**THEY KILLED ME, THAT'S WHY!**__" I gulped, trying to muster up the courage to ask why again._

_ "…__why?" I whimpered, washed out blue eyes wide and staring at the center of the blackness. There was some more silence, and then the darkness was surrounding me, and I panicked. My screams echoed around me, and filled the darkness to the point where I didn't know where my screams ended and the echo began. _

_There was a soft touch on my shoulder, and immediately, I stopped screaming, and started crying silently. I had died already, and knew that I couldn't die a second time in my time as a ghost. But I also knew that by absorbing something called 'spiritual residue', _my_ spiritual residue, 'bad' spirits could absorb me. This was a form of death that no ghost wanted to ever encounter. _

_ "__They killed me because I existed, young one." This voice was much gentler, and somehow sadder than the other one that was shouting and screaming. I lifted my head, and looked behind me. It was a man, with wisps of darkness coiling around him, shifting and changing shape like liquid. He wore a suit, much like the one I saw my daddy in on the picture of him and mommy's wedding day. His hair was pitch black, and coiled down to his elbows in waves, and it moved and changed shape, much like the darkness did. What caught me were his eyes. They were gentle eyes, but also sad eyes. _

_ "…__why?" A small smile played around him mouth, and he squatted down so he was at my height while I was floating an inch above the ground. _

_ "__So inquisitive." He said with a laugh. "I forgot what it was like to hear the questions of a child. They killed me because I ran from a life or death situation."_

_ "…__why?"_

_ "__I was scared."_

_ "__Why?"_

_ "__It was a battle."_

_ "__Why?"_

_ "__Because adults do things like that."_

_ "__Why?" _

_ "__Because we aren't as innocent as children." I nodded finally, understanding. _

_ "__So they killed you because you wanted to live." I summarized. He shrugged. _

_ "__In a nutshell, yes." He caught my small glances to the darkness that surrounded him, and he sighed._

_ "__Don't let this happen to you." He gestured to the coils of darkness, and then slipped a lock of hair behind his ear when it fell into his face. "This is my hatred, fear, and resent. This is what happens when you die against your will." My eyes widened, and he nodded._

_ "__Exactly, fear this. This is what happens when you lose your sense of self." A wave of pain washed over his face. "I will leave now before I destroy this island. Rest assured, your old folk aren't dead." I nodded, somewhat relieved. _

_ "__I'm Aave. What's your name?" He blinked, and looked down at me, shock evident on his face. _

_ "__What?"_

_ "__I said; I'm Aave, what's your name?"_

_ "__I know, but why?"_

_ "__Because we're friends." He sweatdropped._

_ "__I just scared you, and showed you fear. Why do you want to be friends?"_

_ "__You seem like you want friends." He laughed at my answer, and I crossed my arms, annoyed that he wasn't taking me seriously. _

_ "__My name is Jomei." He smirked, but without mirth. "It's rather ironic…"*_

_ "__I think it's beautiful." I said seriously. He regarded me curiously again, and then shook his head, and vanished. I blinked, eyes watering (though they didn't because I was a ghost) as the light came back again. I could hear the rustlings of the old folk as they sat up and started exclaiming about the fact that they all took a nap at the same time. The Fairy Princess returned, and fretted about having to leave so quickly, but I forgave her. It wasn't her fault, after all. _

_End Flashback!_

Never would I abide by someone being made to become a resentful spirit like Jomei.

"I won't tolerate defeatists in my outfit!" I was still rooted to the spot from my memory, and could only watch in escalating terror as the three marines reluctantly held their guns to their temples. "ON MY ORDER, FIRE!"

"Something's wrong with these marines!" Shouted Zoro.

"**STOP THEM, LUFFY!**" I screamed, watching in horror as their fingers moved closer to the triggers. Luffy seemed to be in front of me one second, and then in front of Ax-hand man the next.

"Hey, _I'm_ your enemy!" Luffy shouted as he rushed over. "Try putting **_me_** to death!" His fist _Klang_-ed against Ax-hand's ax hand. There were exclamations of shock throughout the marine ranks, while on our side;

"LUFFY! DESTROY THIS LOUSY NAVY!" Coby shouted. Thus started the pointless introductions of the two fighters.

"Hmph." Ax-hand man scoffed. "You have neither rank nor status. I'll teach you to defy your betters. I'M CAPTAIN AX-HAND MORGAN!" He shouted, already swinging his ax-hand at Luffy.

"Nice to meet you." Luffy replied formally. "I'm Monkey D. Luffy." And he jumped upwards to avoid the ax.

"So that was his name…" I said thoughtfully. Coby took that the wrong way.

"You didn't know Luffy's full name?" He asked incredulously. I sweatdropped, and watched as Luffy kicked Morgan in the face. _THWAK!_

"No, I know Luffy's name. It was Ax-hand man's." It was Coby's turn to sweatdrop.

"GO LUFFY!" I cheered as Morgan fell to the ground with a thump. I thrust my fists in the air, and sang a silly song.

"_Supply! Demand! Equilibrium! Pro-du-ction poss-i-bil-i-ties! Elastic! Inelastic! Compliments! Substitutes! The floor's up high, the ceiling's down low, and that's how the Econ cheer goes!"*_ Several of the marines sweatdropped, as did Zoro.

"What was that?" he asked.

"It was a cheer!" I shouted, pumping my fist in the air with glee as Luffy escaped the ax once again and spun around to kick Morgan in the head…again. _SMASH!_

"KRAKOW KRAKOW! TWO DIRECT HITS!" I shouted happily, doing a little jig in mid-air.

"You are a strange brat." Zoro remarked, eyes glued to Luffy's fight. I stuck my tongue out at him, and made Bearetta hit him on the head. I giggled as he glared at me.

"He-he's so strong!" Coby said in awe. I was grinning like a feral wildcat when Luffy raised his fist to punch Morgan on the face.

"You and your Navy…" he said, grabbing onto Morgan's shirt to hold him still, "…are ruining Coby's dream!"

"STOP!" Shouted a voice. Luffy hit Morgan anyway. _Thwak!_

"I SAID **STOP,** YOU _IDIOT_!" I turned around to see Coby being held at gunpoint by an extremely shaky Barf-head. I glanced at the gun in Barf-head's hand. It was so shaky it looked like I could snatch it out of his grasp.

"ONE WRONG MOVE AND FOUR-EYES GETS IT!" He cried out. "IF YOU EVEN BLINK, I'LL SHOOT!" I tsked, because I was in full view of Barf-head, and if I suddenly turned invisible, Coby would get lead through his head. _Hey, that rhymed…No, no. Stop that._ I shook my head to clear it of any random thoughts.

"HEY, LUFFY, AAVE!" I looked up from my head shaking. "DON'T LET THEM WIN BECAUSE OF ME!" I tilted my head to the side in slight confusion. "LET HIM KILL ME!" I blinked in surprise, and looked to Luffy.

"Shishishi, you're a good guy, Coby." I linked my hands behind my back, sensing a plan. Slowly, I began to turn invisible. "Hey, Idiot-son-of-the-Captain. Coby means it!" I grinned like the 'cheshire cat' I had been told a story about, and I disappeared from sight as Barf-heads attention was fixed on Luffy. I ghosted (XD) over to them, and poised my hand over the gun, ready to take it whenever Luffy gave the sign.

"Hey, I told you not to move, or I'll shoot!" Barf-head was shaking much worse now, and I wondered if he was going to pull the trigger on accident. This thought made me nervous, and I watched intently. "FINE! I'LL JUST SHOOT HIM THEN!" I gasped quietly as a shadow rose up behind Luffy. It was Morgan!

"LUFFY!" Coby shouted in a panic, "BEHIND YOU!"

"Aave." I heard the quiet command from Luffy as he punched forward. I grabbed the gun safely out of Barf-head's hand just as Luffy's fist connected with his face.

"Gomu gomu no…PISTOL!" _POW!_

"Nice…" I watched in awe as Morgan fell backwards, blood spurting out of his back. "…Zoro."

"No sweat…Captain." Zoro smirked around his sword. I dropped the gun and flew over to Luffy.

"Did I do good too? Huh? Huh?" I circled around him like an eager puppy. Before he could respond, I was circling around Zoro.

"Wow! THAT WAS AWESOME!" I shouted in his ear. He flinched as he sheathed his swords. "YOU WERE LIKE _FWOOOSH, _AND LUFFY WAS LIKE _POW_, AND THEY WERE LIKE *FALL*!" I imitated the _fwooosh_, the _pow_, and the *fall* until Luffy calmed me down by placing a hand on my shoulder. He silently pointed at the Marines, who were staring at Morgan and Barf-head with disbelief in their eyes. "Oh." I said sheepishly, ducking my head.

"The Captain lost!" One of them exclaimed in disbelief.

"Captain Morgan's been defeated!" Another shouted. Coby was sitting where he had fallen, staring at the Marines edgily.

"Any of you still want to capture us?" Zoro asked them in a tone laced with promises of hacked off limbs and death if they attempted it. The marines all looked at each other for a moment before taking their hats off and throwing them into the air.

"HOORAY!"

"WE'RE FREE!"

"MORGAN'S REIGN OF TERROR IS OVER!"

"BONZAI FOR THE NAVY!"

"Hmm. They're happy that we defeated their Captain." Luffy observed.

That means…" Coby clenched his fist, and I noticed an unrivaled happy face sneak up. "…Captain Morgan was ruling by fear!" I clapped a hand on Zoro's shoulder after saying "Pop."

"AAAAAAH! I KILLED ZORO!" I screamed as Zoro fell to the ground.

"AH! AAVE, HOW COULD YOU?!" Luffy shouted, tears streaming down his face. I flew around in a panic, trying to find out if he was really dead without my having to touch him.

'_Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrr'_ …a sound came from his stomach… "Ah." I thumped my fist onto my hand. "He's hungry." Luffy started to laugh, and he hoisted Zoro over his shoulder, and started walking to the restaurant where we had eaten last time. A few minutes later, Zoro was smiling, and patting his stomach happily.

"Umph! I'm stuffed!" He said with a laugh. I was floating behind him and staring at his hair. It was green. Green. GREEN!

"Green…" I muttered.

"Not eating for nine days was worse than I thought!"

"Green…"

"See? You'd never have survived the whole month!" Luffy said around a mouthful of food.

"Green…"

"Funny, you seem hungrier than me…" Zoro observed, leaning forward and raising an eyebrow at Luffy's packed plate.

"It tastes good. Right, Coby? Aave?" I smiled and smelled the food.

"Smells great!" I said before entrancing myself in Zoro's hair again. "Green…"

"Ah, sorry for having you feed me too…" Coby told the little girls' mom sheepishly. I had learned that her name was Rika from Luffy.

"It's no problem!" Rika's mom said happily. "The town _has_ been saved after all!"

"Green…"

"You really _are_ amazing!" Rika said to Luffy, looking at him in awe.

"_How_ is it green?"

"Yup! I am!" Luffy said, banging his fork on the table. "And I'm going to be even _more_ amazing! 'Cause I'm going to be the king of the pirates!" He looked over at Zoro and I.

"I've even got a crew."

"Maybe it's died…"

"It isn't died." I frowned at Zoro's remark.

"Then why is it green?" Zoro dodged the question.

"So, how many others have you gathered besides me?" He asked Luffy quickly.

"UNFAIR!" I shouted, hitting him on the head with Bearetta.

"You said that you were in the middle of finding a crew, right?" I gave up on his hair, and floated over to try and steal Luffy's hat, playing pretend evil villains with Bearetta again.

"To be the pirate king," Zoro continued, watching me curiously as I lunged for Luffy's hat, "you must have a good number gathered." Luffy dodged, and I flew around the table for another go.

"Just you and Aave." He said. I halted in my tries, and planted my hands on my hips.

"I'm haunting your boat. There is a difference between that and being on your crew!" I said snootily. Zoro looked shell-shocked at what Luffy and I had said.

"HUH? Then…" he pointed at Luffy first, and then me, and then him as a question.

"Yup, just us three!" Luffy said, dodging a smack upside the head.

"I'M HAUNTING THE BOAT! DON'T COUNT ME!"

"We're gonna call just us two and a kid ghost a pirate crew?!" exclaimed Zoro in amazement.

"Ok, don't listen to me…I get the idea…no one listens to me…" a dark aura surrounded me as I huddled in a corner, and drew designs on the floor.

"What's wrong with that?" Luffy said in answer to Zoro's question. Rika patted the air over my shoulder. "We _are_ strong."

"What about a ship?" Zoro asked, getting to a point in the conversation that really mattered to a pirate. (Well, anyone sailing the seas, really.) "Where's your pirate ship?"

"Getting peed on by a dog." I said in a depressed tone, hovering by the window now with a dark aura surrounding me. I sighed heavily. The boat was tiny compared to the docks. Zoro leaned against the opposite side of the window from where I was, and looked at it unenthusiastically.

"That?"

"Yup." I said. "Green…" I muttered under my breath. "Why green?"

"We'll have a ship _thiiiiiis_ big before long!" Luffy said, stretching his arms into the air to illustrate how big he wanted it. Zoro laughed at that and turned away from the window.

"How?"

"It'll happen." I said, flapping my hand at him. My bad mood was gone, so I sneaked around Luffy to try and take his hat again, ignoring Zoro's slack jaw.

"And I'd like a pirate flag too!" Luffy said dreamily, probably imagining the ship in his head. He took another mouthful of fish, and dodged my attempts again. "Hmmm. So cool!" He said with a laugh.

"I think Luffy was born without any sense of planning." Coby explained to Zoro, who was pinching the bridge of his nose in exasperation.

"Did I really just make this man my Captain?" Zoro questioned.

"YES!" I shouted, raising my hand. "AND I HAUNTED HIS SHIP!"

"Do you have to shout?"

"YES!"

"Well, we'll get more crewmembers before long." Luffy said, shoving another piece of fish into his mouth.

"Ne, ne." Rika tugged on his shirt. When she successfully got Luffy's attention, she continued. "Where are you guys going to go now?" She asked innocently.

"Isn't it obvious?" Luffy said excitedly, "the Grand Line!" I laughed, and turned backwards somersaults in the air as I watched Coby do a spit take.

"You still only have three members!" Coby shouted in a panic. I frowned, but didn't correct him, because I thought about how silly he looked doing a spit take, and started to laugh again. "And stop laughing!"

"There's no way you can go there!" Coby turned back to Luffy to plead with him not to go. "Impossible! Impossible! Impossible!"

"Is the Grand Line that terrible of a place?" Rika asked, playing rock paper scissors with me. She kept on winning.

"Naturally!" Coby said in an intense voice. Rika and I graduated from rock paper scissors and had moved on to Chopsticks.

"You know this world has two oceans, right?" Coby started his explanation as to why Grand Line was too dangerous.

"And the giant mountain that cuts them right in two is the Red Line. Supposedly, there's a town right in the middle of the Red Line, and the Grand Line goes through it at a right angle, and stretches around the world. It was said that Gold Roger, King of the Pirates, once obtained everything this world has to offer, and before he died, he said he left the great One Piece treasure there, so pirates everywhere have set sail for the Grand Line! It's now an intense battlefield, and even called 'The Pirate's Graveyard'!" Coby was shivering and staring into his cup. '_Gold Roger? That doesn't sound right for some reason…hmmm…oh well!'_ I gave up on thinking for the time being.

"I've heard from patrons before…" Rika's mother said quietly, "that whomever enters the Grand Line doesn't come out alive."

"But the One Piece is somewhere in there…" Luffy said unhurriedly, "so we're going there!"

"Sounds like fun!" I said happily, doing a loop-de-loop in mid-air.

"Guess it can't be helped!" Zoro said with a grin, sitting back in the chair he had previously evacuated.

"NOT YOU TWO TOO!" Coby yelled. He pointed at me. "ESPECIALLY YOU!" I stuck my tongue out at him, and turned away with a _harrumph__. _

"What's it matter?" Zoro asked. "You're not going, are you?" Valid question. _Leprechauns…definitely a son of a leprechaun._ I nodded, happy with my decision about Zoro's hair.

"He wants to be a _marine_." I said sourly. I still resented that.

"Well yes, but I'm also worried about you!"Coby said anxiously. He adjusted Bearnaby in his belt, and I stopped being sour at him. "Is that so wrong?" I smiled, and flew over, and hugged him.

"Nope." I squeezed him tightly for a moment, and then flew over to Luffy.

"I'm going to get the boat ready to go." I said, not wanting to say goodbye. Luffy nodded, understanding in his eyes. As I flew out the window, I could hear Coby shouting about friends behind me.

I flew onto the boat, and pulled out Bearetta. My throat constricted as I remembered.

_ "__AAAAH!" shouted a youngish voice. _

_ "__AAAAH!" I shouted back, grabbing my hat off of the ground and pulling it back onto my head. _

_ "__A GHOST!" it was pink-hair. I decided to play dumb._

_ "__WHERE?!" I looked around in fake panic, trying not to giggle. _

_ "__YOU ARE!" he was pointing at me. I couldn't take it any longer, and giggled._

_ "__Well of course I am, dummy!" I said brightly. "I'm not translucent because of a Devils Fruit!" I smiled at him, and floated above the ground, my gloved hands resting behind my head. He gaped at me._

_ "__Hi there, pinky! My name is Aave! You?" he appeared flustered for a few moments before responding rather politely. _

_ "__My name is Coby." He said, holding out his hand. "Nice to meet you Aave."_

I cleared my throat, and smacked my cheeks a few times to stop myself from shedding tears. I drew a fake sword.

"Avast ye, landlubbers!" I cried, pretending to be Captain Hook. "Time to walk th' plank!" I let out an almighty '_Aaaarrrr!'_ and lunged forward, pushing the imaginary people into the sea. I let out a "Ha haa!", and turned to Bearetta.

"How 'bout that, Smee?" I called to her. "And there was no _Peter Pan_ to deal with this time, either!" I swung my sword and let out an extremely evil laugh, and stopped as I noticed Luffy and Zoro staring at me mutely. There was a moment of silence as I stood poised, ready to take off an imaginary enemies head, and they stood on the dock.

"Aaarrrr ye ready to board?" I asked as polite as my 'pirate' persona could accomplish. Luffy grinned.

"Let's go!" Zoro laughed a little as I made a grab for Luffy's hat as he boarded, only to have my hand grabbed. I pouted.

"SON OF A LEPRECHAUN!" I shouted at him. He stopped laughing, and looked at me bemusedly.

"What?"

"Because your hair is green, you are the son of a leprechaun." I said haughtily. "Where is your gold and rainbow?" He just shook his head and untied the boat from the dock.

"LUFFY! AAVE!" I blinked in shock at Coby's sudden appearance. He saluted us.

"THANK YOU! I'LL NEVER FORGET ALL YOU'VE DONE FOR ME!" He shouted.

"This is a new one." Zoro said in amusement. "A pirate being saluted by the Navy." Luffy laughed at that.

"Not that new…" I said idly, smiling and waving at Coby.

"WE'LL MEET AGAIN, COBY!" shouted Luffy as we cast off.

"TEN'SHUN!" Suddenly, the dock was filled with marines saluting us. There was cheering from the dock as we left. I engrossed myself with staring at Zoro's earrings, wondering if they were his leprechaun gold.

"WE'RE ON OUR WAY TO THE GRAND LINE!" shouted Luffy, finally sitting down when the island was out of sight.

***Jomei means 'spreads light'**

***Copyright; my Econ teacher. :) hello there! **

**Aaaand that's the end of the Shell Town arc! Next up is the Buggy arc. I wanted to finish this arc in one go, so this chapter is kinda long. XD**

**I wonder if you can find the Calvin and Hobbes reference!**

**So, I just finished reading this book, and the last paragraph stuck out at me,**

** "****There are two truths, intimately known to him and reaching beyond all boundaries.**

**The first of these is that joy does not come from outside, for whatever happens to us it is within. The second truth is that light does not come to us from without. Light is in us, even if we have no eyes." **

**~Jacques Lusseyran, ****_And There Was Light_**

**I really suggest reading it, it moved e so much, and made me see the world differently. (This might sound cliché, but it did.)**


	5. Chapter 5

**Ureshiitamago: Heeey! Wow, I got a lot of homework! (my grammar good, yes?) Good thing for Martin Luther King Jr. Day! Speaking of which, **

**I would like to give an early shout out to the people who participated in the Civil Rights movement. **

**Aave: *throws hands into air* Thank you so much for your hard work!**

**Ureshiitamago: Ok Aave, the list?**

**Aave: *ahem***

**Taichi14, rockobrocko, kitsune164, -music-box, Domea, Angelvt, BlushLover930, ChrisZilla18, Hawthorn96, and allychix11 for favoriting/following.**

**Special thanks to;**

**scarlet rose white and loveredhairedshanks for reviewing! :) **

**Ureshiitamago: Thanks, Aave! And thank you, those who favorite/followed/reviewed! Here's the disclaimer; no matter how much I would like to, I only own my OCs. **

**Aave: That's what she ****_thinks_**** anyway…**

**Ureshiitamago: HEY! Ah, and I don't own any of the songs. The Papa Beaver one is from Papa Beaver's Story Time. **

_ "__WE'LL MEET AGAIN, COBY!" shouted Luffy as we cast off. _

_ "__TEN'SHUN!" Suddenly, the dock was filled with marines saluting us. There was cheering from the dock as we left. I engrossed myself with staring at Zoro's earrings, wondering if they were his leprechaun gold. _

_ "__WE'RE ON OUR WAY TO THE GRAND LINE!" shouted Luffy, finally sitting down when the island was out of sight. _

**Chapter 5: A Ghostly Wait**

I reached out to touch the earrings adorning Zoro's ears, but he (tried) to slap my hand away. Immediately, his face went blue, and he started to shiver. I sweatdropped.

"Do you seriously not remember how I took out the first row of marines?" I asked him seriously, setting Bearetta in his lap to warm him up. His teeth clattered when he answered me.

"I th-thought it was j-just a thing y-you turned on and o-off." I shook my head. "Luffy can grab you." He pointed out, skin beginning to return to its normal color. I glanced over at Luffy, who was sitting against the mast, and humming contentedly.

"True…" I said lazily. I blinked; it was time to comb Queen Margareta of Ifnargal's hair. "Poof." An ornate comb appeared in my hand, and I began the gentle downwards motions of combing hair. I successfully ignored Zoro's staring, and began a conversation with Margareta.

"So, how is King Popinjay?" I questioned. She replied that he was fine, and that I needed to work on my snooty maid-servant voice. I agreed.

"I _do_ hope that Sir Catchabolt didn't spill tea on your table _again_." I sniffed, "Last time, it took _days_ to clean up." Margareta laughed, and replied that no, he didn't, and yes, it did.

"Who are you talking to?" Luffy asked, interrupting me as I began to ask Margareta how her friendship with the Fairy Queen was. I looked up from my combing, a little annoyed.

"Queen Margareta of Ifnargal!" I announced pompously. Luffy made and 'Ooooh.' Sound, and watched as I continued to comb Margareta's hair.

"Oh, I _know_ darling…oh _yes_, I think that will do quite splendidly!...She _didn't_! Oh, the scamp!" I continued gossiping with Margareta until I finished combing her hair. I sighed contentedly when I was done, and 'poofed' the comb away. I turned to Luffy.

"Cat's cradle?" I asked. He nodded eagerly. "Poof." "Pop" Zoro started to snore as we played.

**Day 2**

"_But as we were going she said unto me, to me, weigh, hey, blow the man down. There's a spanking full-rigger just ready for sea, give me some time to blow the man down."_ I sang from the tip-top of the mast, balancing on one foot and then the other for as long as I could.

"_That spanking full-rigger to New York was bound; to me, weigh, hey, blow the man down. She was very well mannered and very well found, give me some time to blow the man down."_ I hummed a little bit, and then continued, seeing an irk mark on the top of Zoro's head out of the corner of my eye, and I grinned.

"_And as soon as that packet was out on the sea, to me, weigh, hey, blow the man down. 'Twas devilish hard treatment of every degree, give me some time to blow the man down."_ I stopped as Zoro slammed his fist against the mast, causing me to fly upwards a little to avoid going through the mast. I pouted at him as I floated to the boat.

"That was mean." I pouted, crossing my arms and glaring at him. He grinned devilishly.

"That is an annoying song." He answered. It was my turn to grin.

"It's meant to be." I said happily. "Mission Irk-Zoro, accomplished!" I laughed and flew out of reach as he made a grab for me, and floated to the other side of the boat, where Luffy was stretched out on his back, with his hat covering his face.

"Are you sleeping?" I asked, poking him. There was no response except for a snore. I pouted, wanting a playmate. Suddenly, an incredibly _evil_ thought snuck into my head, and I giggled into my palm to muffle the sound. I drew a deep breath, and started to sing a new song while prancing around his body.

"_Are you sleeping, are you sleeping, Papa Beaver? Papa Beaver? Morning bells are ringing, morning birds are singing, tweet, tweet, tweet~! Tweet, tweet, tweet~!" _When that didn't work, I decided to draw on his arms. There were fairies, and trees, and unicorns on Luffy's arms when I was done, and I was surprised that he hadn't woken up yet. Even more surprising was that Zoro hadn't stopped me. I flew over to him to investigate, and saw that he was sleeping too…without face protection no less…silly wabbit! I chuckled, and my eyes glittered as I drew on his face with the pink marker.

'_Oh my, Mr. Swordsman! Pink is sooo your color! Oh, you want lipstick? Very well then!_' I giggled as I finished my masterpiece, and floated backwards a little to appreciate my work. Zoro had perfectly large pink lips, over exaggerated blue eyeshadow, and a _lot_ of blush. A _lot_. Muahahaha. (XD) I banished my colors, and turned invisible, floating back up to my favorite spot to wait for them to wake up.

" *$%#&amp;$# YOU $&amp;%#* !" I was surprised, and a little impressed at Zoro's vocabulary. Luffy, was of course, Luffy, and laughed it off like he found it amusing. (Which he probably did. There was a reason that I preferred him as a playmate over Zoro. Zoro was fun to tease and prank though.) I giggled silently at the sight of an enraged Zoro-lady, and imagined fireworks shooting from his head.

"Yeees?" I asked in a ghostly tone.

"WHAT DID YOU DO TO ME?" He screamed, pointing at the water. Ooh, this was too good to pass up.

"Do you think you're in the water or somethin'? Because I know nothing about you losing your mind." Luffy guffawed, and Zoro changed a nice shade of red that complemented his make-up.

"Is. This." He pointed to his face. "Washable?" I turned visible, and pretended to think for a moment.

"I should hope so; otherwise you would get stinky after a while." I could hear his teeth grinding, and I could barely manage keeping a straight face. Luffy was rolling on the bottom of the boat, holding onto his hat, and laughing so hard tears were streaming down his face.

"I MEAN THE MARKER!"

"Well, why didn't you say so?" I asked nonchalantly. "Yes, it is, son of a leprechaun."

"Eeeh!? Zoro, you didn't tell me that you were the son of a leprechaun!" Luffy exclaimed, stars appearing in his eyes.

"I'M NOT!" Zoro shouted before diving into the ocean to wash off his make-up. I giggled, and was about to remind Luffy about his arms, before I decided to see how long he would go without noticing. _This ought to be good._

**Day 3**

I was pleasantly surprised the next day to see that even though we (they) had eaten lunch, and then played around and napped, Luffy didn't notice. Every time Zoro tried to tell him, he would receive the ever pleasant gift of a slimy fish down his pants, courtesy of yours truly. Though the fish in the pants was always highly amusing, I was bored.

"Bored bored bored bored bored bored borddedy boredy bored bordey boredy bordey bored bored bo-"

"Stop." It was Zoro.

"But I'm booooored!" I rolled over in the air.

"Deal with it."

"Ok, I'll sing."

"As long as it isn't that annoying song."

"Ok."

"What?"

**We Are the Pirates Who Don't do Anything – Veggie tales**

"_We are the pirates, who don't do anything!_

_We just stay at home, and lie around! _

_And if you ask us to do anything, _

_We will tell you that we don't do anything._

_Well I've never been to Greenland _

_And I've never been to Denver_

_And I've never buried treasure in St. Louie or St. Paul_

_And I've never been to Moscow _

_And I've never been to Tampa_

_And I've never been to Boston in the fall!_

_We are the pirates, who don't do anything!_

_We just stay at home, and lie around!_

_And if you ask us to do anything, _

_We will tell you that we don't do anything._

_And I've never hoist the mainsail,_

_And I've never swabbed the poopdeck,_

_And I've never veered starboard, 'cause I've never sailed at all!_

_And I've never walked the gangplank,_

_And I've never owned a parrot,_

_And I've never been to Boston in the fall!_

_We are pirates, who don't do anything,_

_We just stay at home, and lie around._

_And if you ask us to do anything, _

_We will tell you that we don't do anything!_

_I've never plucked a rooster, _

_And I'm not too good at ping pong,_

_And I've never thrown my mashed potatoes up against the wall!_

_And I've never kissed a chipmunk,_

_And I've never gotten head lice,_

_And I have never been to Boston in the faaaall!"_

"…" There was silence as I finished. I looked over at Zoro and Luffy, who were both staring at me. I grinned, and then straightened up and took a bow.

"Thank you, thank you." I gave them air kisses, then giggled, and did a little aerial tap dance.

Later that day, Zoro figured out that Luffy had eaten the rest of the food. The two of them went to sleep with growling stomachs while I watched the ocean, trying to catch a fish.

**Day 4**

"Ne, ne, Aave?" Luffy asked me as I stared at the water, hoping to see fish, but really trying to find mermaids. Maybe they would teach me how to talk to fish…

"Mmmhmm?" I peered into the water, hoping to see a mermaid's face looking back at me. (And a fish to catch for Zoro and Luffy to eat…)

"Do you see any?"

"What?"

"Fish."

"…" I glared at the water, trying to attract all of the fishies. That didn't work. "Nope." I said, popping the 'p'. Luffy "Aaaw"-ed behind me. I pouted and folded my arms, sitting back in the air to look at the sky.

"I'm starving!" Luffy cried, throwing his arms up into the sky. There was silence or a moment or two.

"Don't you think it's strange that you two can't navigate?" Zoro asked, sitting up from his nap.

"No, drifting has worked pretty well for me." Luffy said.

"I'm a kid. That's learning." I said. "We don't mix." I pulled Bearetta out of my hat, and tossed her into the air, and caught her. Zoro sweatdropped at my answer, and I stuck my tongue out at him after catching Bearetta. I wondered what Bearnaby was doing…

"What about you?" Luffy asked Zoro. "You're supposed to be the holy terror of the seas!" I twirled upside down.

"Yeah, 'holy terror, son of the leprechaun king'. Why are you lost?" I asked in my most patronizing voice.

"Where did you get 'son of the leprechaun king from?" Zoro asked curiously.

"Because no leprechaun is that tall; except for the king and his sons." I answered, hugging Bearetta to my chest.

"Ah." He turned back to Luffy. "I don't recall ever calling myself 'holy terror'." He said, and then pointed over his shoulder. "I followed a pirate I was after out to sea, but I couldn't find my way back to my village." _He got lost…_ I thought to myself with glee.

"So I made the best of things. I went after pirates that were in the area. I had to earn money somehow…" A sense of disappointment washed over Luffy and I, and we said in synch;

"Hmph! So you got lost?"

"YOU DON'T HAVE TO PUT IT LIKE THAT!" Zoro shouted. _Ooooo, shark teeth!_ I giggled as I imagined Zoro as a shark. Green. A green shark sounded perfect. My giggles turned to guffaws as I imagined Shark-Zoro accidently swim into the wrong sea. I was incapacitated by laughter for a few moments while the boys watched me with slight alarm.

"How long can she last?" Luffy asked.

"I bet about five more minutes." Zoro mused.

"RIEHIEHIEHIEHIEHIEHIEHIE!" **A/N: This is Aave's full out laugh, similar to a ROFTL, but more powerful.**

"That is one weird laugh." Zoro said with a sweatdrop.

"…" Luffy couldn't say anything to defend me.

"RIEHIEHIEHIEHIEHIEHI-" *cough, hack* _Gasp gasp_.

"Ahem." I blushed. "I choked."

"YOU'RE A GHOST! HOW CAN YOU CHOKE?!" Zoro shouted while Luffy started to laugh. I waved my hand dismissively.

"You were saying?" I said, pretending to be all ears. All ears…I grinned, and took out a black marker, and started to draw the kanji for ear on every patch of bare skin.

"…anyway…what kind of pirate doesn't know how to navigate a ship?! It's ridiculous." Zoro said. "At this rate, we'll never make it to the Grand Line. We've got to recruit a navigator as soon as possible."

"And we need a Cook, a Musician," Luffy listed off on his fingers.

"THOSE CAN WAIT!" shouted Zoro.

"Ooo! Ooo! A CLOWN!" I shouted with a laugh. Zoro turned to me with his shark teeth.

"NO WA- what the devil did you do?" He asked, pointing to the kanji's that covered even my clothing. All of them said 'ear'. I looked down at myself for a minute before responding.

"I'm all ears." I said. Luffy started to laugh again as Zoro only _just_ managed to stop himself from facepalming.

Luffy's laughter came to a sudden halt as both Zoro and his stomach's started growling. The two of them collapsed next to each other on the deck and groaned.

"I'm starving!" They said in synch. I hung over an imaginary tree branch, and watched them as they stared at the sky.

"_Bip bop boop be bop de bop_." I sang. "_Bobbity bobbity boppity bop_." The fairy queen appeared next to me and started to dance. "_Pop –a-dop boo bop boo bop, tip top top tip too tah_."

"Hey…It's a bird…" Zoro remarked languidly.

"_tah tah tah ti too he hah, bop bop bop pop dop di dop_."

"It looks pretty big…" Luffy added.

"_Timmy tom too tah too tah, gok-a-gok tick tock koo kah_."

"…"

"LET'S EAT IT!" Luffy shouted. I flipped a few flops, and said goodbye to the fairy queen.

"Huh?" Zoro said. "How?"

"Leave it to us! We'll catch it!" Luffy grabbed me around the waist. I blinked. Huh?

His other hand shot upwards, and caught the sail. I was brought face to face with Zoro as Luffy leaned backwards. Eh? My eyes widened in understanding as I heard Luffy's words.

"Gomu gomu no…ROCKET!"

"IIYAAAAH!" I shrieked as we shot upwards, and upwards, and more up, and even uppitier than before…this wasn't good…

"AH!" Luffy cried as the ginormous bird's equally ginormous beak clamped onto Luffy's head. He held onto me tightly, and I was glad. The bird was way faster than I was.

"I name you…Sloth!" I announced from Luffy's arm, feeling accomplished for thinking up such a clever name. *smugness and a raspberry*.

"Don't let go, please." I commanded Luffy, feeling slightly sick at the speed we were going. (Even though I can't feel sick…)

"Ok!" Luffy said from the bird's beak. There was a pause. "Why Sloth?" I gasped with indignation.

"Are you questioning my naming choice?" I asked. Before he could answer, I noticed something ahead of us. "Oooo! An elephant ship!"

"Where?!" Luffy demanded. "Where?!"

"There!" I cried, pointing in the direction of the elephant ship I had decided to name Mr. Whiskers. "And there's a circus tent too! Ooooo, maybe we can get a clown to join your crew!"

"You're on my crew too!"

"Am not!"

"Are too!"

"Not!"

"Too!"

"Not!" I got an idea suddenly.

"Are too!" Luffy shouted.

"Are too!" I shouted back with a grin.

"Are not!" There was a pause, but I broke in before he could amend his statement.

"Thank you for agreeing!"

"I didn't!"

"Did!"

"Didn't!"

"Didn't!"

"Di-I'm not falling for _that _again!" He shouted. I tsked in disappointment. *Raspberry*.

_"__Peeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeuuuuuuuuuuuuuu"_

"What's that?" I asked, looking around for the source.

"Sounds like a cannon ball…" Luffy said, still trying to get free of the bird beak. My eyes widened.

"IT _IS_ A CANNON BALL!" I screamed. Luffy was impervious to bullets, but was he impervious to cannon balls? I didn't really want to find out.

"DODGE!" I shouted frantically as I watched the cannon ball come closer. "DODGE!"

"I'm stuck." Luffy said matter-of-factly. I winced as the cannon ball hit the bird, and Luffy started to fall, taking me with him. He swapped us around so that he was falling first, and there was a **_BOOM!_** As we hit the ground.

"IT'S A KID!" I dimly heard someone shout through the dust that was poofing up around our landing point. _Like a mushroom…poof._

"HE FELL FROM THE SKY!" obviously, they hadn't seen me, or they wouldn't be calling Luffy a kid. I knew that when I was 'standing' on the ground, I was a head shorter than Luffy was. I quickly made myself invisible to everyone (excepting Luffy, he needed to see me when I decided to play 'Evil hat stealer'.), and flew over the dissipating dust cloud to see who it was who yelled. It was three bruisers, and one orange haired lady. I dismissed the orangette, and looked at the bruisers. They looked like they belonged in a circus…

"Who's shooting cannon balls at us?" Luffy called out to me. I shrugged in response, and propped my head up with my hands. "Ouch."

"HE'S NOT HURT!" The three bruisers yelled. I noticed that the four people who had witnessed our fall were sitting on the ground. _Why would they want to sit in the middle of the street?_ I wondered.

"Boss!" the orangette shouted, beaming at Luffy as though he were a long lost friend. "You came to rescue me!" She stood up, and then turned and shot down the street. _Wow, she's fast_… "I'll just let you take care of those guys!" She called over her shoulder as she disappeared down the street.

"HEY, SHE'S GETTING AWAY!" Shouted bruiser #1, who was wearing a checkered head kerchief.

"**FORGET THE GIRL!**" Shouted bruiser #2. He looked like a 'Frankenstein's monster'.

"We've got her boss right here." The third one said. He was highly unremarkable except for the small ponytail. The three of them surrounded Luffy, who looked like he didn't know what was going on. "He's a bigger prize than she is."

"ISN'T THAT RIGHT…BOSS?" I watched in horror as Monster whacked Luffy in the head with the butt of his sword, knocking Luffy's hat off of his head. Unexplained anger filled me to the brim at this, and I could feel my face growing colder. Luffy punched Monster in the face as I flew through him. He fell to the ground, blue from the cold and a bruise on his jaw.

"HEY!" Shouted the other two. Cold vapors coiled around me as I felt my anger start to subside a little. I was in control of the cold.

"**Don't touch the hat**." Luffy growled, glaring at them. The two left standing threw insults I didn't really listen to at Luffy, and I flew through one while Luffy beat up the other.

"Wow!" Luffy and I glanced in the direction that the voice had come from. I scowled. It was the orangette. Grudges are being held starting…now!

"You're pretty tough! You beat those saber-swingers with your bare hands!" The lady said with a laugh. I pulled a face at her, tugging my cheeks out and sticking out my tongue, and crossing my eyes.

"I had help…and, uh…who are you?" Luffy asked. I glanced at his hat as I floated closer to the ground. …Naw, better leave it for now…

"Help?...ahem. The name's Nami! I specialize in stealing from pirates!" She made the universal sign for money with her forefinger and thumb. "Wanna team up with me?" HA! No.

"Stealing from pirates?" Luffy had his serious face on.

"That's right!" Nami-baka acknowledged. She swung her feet against the ledge she was sitting on.

"I steal treasure from pirates. Together, we could make a fortune!" I didn't like how happy she sounded about that.

"We don't want to team up with you." Luffy said, walking away.

"I second that motion!" I said, even though she couldn't hear me. I flew after Luffy with a slight scowl on my face. _Onibaba_. I thought.

"Hey, wait a minute!" She called after Luffy. I looked over my shoulder to see her jumping off of the ledge.

"Why'd you get so mad when that guy touched your hat?" She asked once she had caught up with Luffy. "Is it valuable?" Luffy held his hat on his head as I tried to tug it off.

"This hat is my treasure." He said. It was a simple statement really, and I thought that anyone (except for Alvida and Morgan) would be able to understand that, but apparently, Nami-baka couldn't.

"Treasure, huh?" She said, staring at the hat from one side of Luffy while I tried to tug it off on the other. "Do you keep jewels hidden in it?" Almost as an afterthought, she added; "Or a treasure map?"

"Aaw, leave us alone." Luffy complained. "We've got things to do."

"Who's this 'we' you keep talking about? There's only one of you." Nami pointed out. Luffy looked over at me, and I crossed my arms, and raised an eyebrow. No.

"My hat and I…also two other crewmembers." I slapped the back of his head, and flew off in a huff after whispering into Luffys ear;

"I'm going to the docks to wait for Zoro. Don't trust her." I barely caught his nod before I was off.

As I flew down the streets, I shed my invisibility like a cloak.

"….Fairy Queen, you can come out now." There was a pop, and a sprightly young girl about the height of my chin to the top of my skull appeared in front of me.

"I'm just a hallucination, you know." She said with a breathy sigh. Her skin was cherry red, and her hair bright green, cut in a bob. Her ears were long and pointed, and she wore an oversized (for her) pink sweater and boot cut lime green pants, and black tennis-shoes. There was a delicate crown on her head that looked like it was weaved out of golden spider-silk, and encrusted with dewdrops. Her wings were teardrop shaped, and a little ragged around the edges. They were transparent green.

"Of course, I've been a hallucination for so long, I'm now real…ish." She said with a wink of her green eyes. I smiled slightly, and she turned serious. "You aren't your usual kiddy self." She remarked.

"I'm 424 years old. I'm only as grown up as I want to be, and right now is the time to be serious." I responded with complete lack of feeling.

"You don't like being serious…do you." I pouted.

"No." I said with a whine. "It isn't _fun_, so let's get down to business. I'm going to tell Margareta too." Instantly, a dark aura surrounded Fairy Queen.

"Ah. Why do you have to tell _her_?" She muttered crossly.

"You two had another falling out?"

"…"

"Well, get over it. I need your opinions." An irk mark appeared on her head.

"Believe it or not, Aave my dear, it isn't that simple to 'get over it'." She said.

"Really?" I asked, honestly surprised at that fact. "All you have to do is apologize." I nodded to a dog who was sitting in front of a pet store, and then did a double take. _SQUEEEE-mode, activated!_

"KYAAA! Sooooo cuute!" *Hearts and wiggles* I flew over, and started to pet the dog. "Oooo, you're so soft!" I giggled. I heard an 'ahem' behind me, and saw Fairy Queen tapping her toe in mid-air. She crossed her arms.

"What did you want to ask me…I mean us?" She asked, glaring at the dog. She has hated dogs ever since one swallowed her on accident.

"…do you think that I should join Luffy's crew?" I asked. Fairy Queen stared at me in surprise.

"You want to join a crew after what happened with the Sparrow pirates?" I stayed silent as an answer.

"…You ask Margareta, and I'll think on it, ok?" I nodded, and sat in mid-air next to the dog as Fairy Queen poofed away. There was another poof, and Margareta showed up in front of me.

She was tall and willowy, with her long silver hair piled on top of her head, and locks of her beautiful hair fell in artless curls around her face, framing its narrowness perfectly. Her crown was perched in front of the mass, and was swirls with different colored jewels adorning it, all of them packed so close together that it looked like the makers of the crown had taken a rainbow and spun it into a beautiful crown that winked and flashed. Margareta was almost as pale as me, but she was more pink than white. She wore a privateer's blouse, and light brown trousers tucked into knee high black leather boots. She had a regal face, and narrow looking golden eyes.

"Fairy Queen said that you had something to ask me, dearest one?" She asked. Her voice was like silk, and soothed my ears after Fairy Queen's high pitched sparrow-like voice.

"Yes." I nodded, and proceeded to ask her the same question I had asked Fairy Queen. As I asked her, we both moved in the direction of the docks, her walking, and I floating by her side.

"Well, I don't believe that this would end up like the Sparrow pirates, but let's wait until Fairy Queen is done thinking to come to a decision, ok?" I nodded in agreement, and she smiled, and poofed away. I finished the flight to the docks by myself, and was ecstatic to see Zoro there.

"…looks like a ghost town." I heard him say to three guys who looked like clowns. I immediately named them Curly, Larry, and Moe. "Where is everyone?" Zoro finished. I started to fly faster.

"Well, you see sir…"Moe said, "we've taken over this town." He looked sheepish.

"What'll we tell Captain Buggy?" Larry asked Curly. "We're coming back empty handed!"

"We'll just have to tell him the truth!" Curly replied. "It's all that girls fault!"

"C'mon, take me to your Captain." Zoro demanded. I drew breath. "Maybe he knows where Luffy and Aave are."

"ZOOOOOROOOOO!" I crashed into him, causing him to fall back into the boat he had just hopped out of.

"Umph. Never mind…found one…" Zoro grumbled from underneath me as I hugged him to (near) death. *squeeeeze*

"Where's Luffy?" He asked me. I let go of him and floated backwards to let him up before I replied.

"With some strange Onibaba." I said. Zoro's jaw dropped to the ground.

"YOU LEFT HIM WITH A MOUNTAIN WITCH?!" He shouted. I nodded.

"I told him not to trust her too much, but I doubt he heeded my warning." I said, linking my hands behind my back. Zoro grunted, and turned to Larry, Curly, and Moe.

"Where is your Captain?" He asked forcefully. They all pointed down the same street, which was the same street I had used to get to the docks.

"On top of the only tavern in town." Curly said. _Top? Why the top?_

"Let's go." Zoro said before racing off. I followed quickly after him. I hoped Luffy hadn't gone and done anything _too_ silly, like get himself tied up and thrown into a cage…

**Oooo, I think there was a bit of premonition there! ;) Hope you loved it!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Ureshiitamago: O.O Oh my god, this is my most popular fic I have written so far…excuse me while I pass out…**

**Aave: What? Why? How do you know?**

**Ureshiitamago: OVER 1,000 VIEWS THIS MONTH! *SQUEEEEEEEE* Is it sad that this is my highest ever?**

**Aave: Her Squeee-mode activated…and I don't know…**

**Zoro: Ignore her, we have to find Luffy.**

**Ureshiitamago: *Hyperventilating* **

**Aave: Here, I'll do the thankies, and you do the disclaimer. Maybe when we're done, she'll be able to write…**

**QuirkyKit, Unslaadtoorjun, Kira Tsumi, seblackburn4, missNOBODYa. , Spricket, and BloodWaltz for favoriting/following!**

**And a special thanks to scarlet rose white, QuirkyKit, and Kira Tsumi for reviewing! Love those reviews! **

**Zoro: Don't see why I have to…*sigh* Disclaimer, this idiot author fangirling over how many views this story got doesn't own me, or…*whispers to Aave* What does this say?**

**Aave: *peers at the paper* One Piece.**

**Zoro: Ok. She doesn't own me or One Piece. **

**Aave: Lets get started! Woohoo! XD**

**Ureshiitamago: There is a special Omake at the end of this chappie. **

_ "__Where is your Captain?" He asked forcefully. They all pointed down the same street, which was the same street I had used to get to the docks. _

_ "__On top of the only tavern in town." Curly said. _Top? Why the top?

_ "__Let's go." Zoro said before racing off. I followed quickly after him. I hoped Luffy hadn't gone and done anything too silly, like get himself tied up and thrown into a cage…_

**Chapter 6: Ghosting around**

I flew at top speed next to Zoro, simultaneously worrying about Luffy, and snickering about tall grumpy leprechauns at the end of rainbows. Why? I felt like it. :P

"Here?" Zoro thought out loud, looking up at the roof of what appeared to be a tavern. What tipped me off was the sign that said; "The Drinker Pub".

"Unless there's another 'only tavern in town', then yeah." I said, raising one of my eyebrows at him. Zoro scowled at me, and started to climb. Climb? Climb. Up the building. On the outside.

"Should you be doing this without protective gear?" I asked, looking down at how far he had come. We were almost at the top, and I could hear what sounded like jeering, and people egging someone on to…blast someone?

"Did you hear that?" I asked him when he didn't answer my first question.

"Yeah, they're going to blow someone up. Big whoop." He answered, furrowing his brow as he looked for another handhold. I scowled.

"I'm going invisible to see _who_ they're going to blow up." I said, and left. _Geez, leprechauns can be so grouchy when they're concentrating…_I thought as I rose over the roof. _That looks like Luffy in there…hmmm…it _is_ Luffy…*blankness*…*sudden realization*…_

"ZOROOO!" I zoomed back to where I had left Zoro. He was taking his sweet time in moving, but I knew that my news would make him move like a bullet.

"What?!" He asked. "I'm _trying_ to concentrate here." He glared at me. "And _you_ are certainly not helping." I wrung my hands, and looked worried enough for him to guess that something was wrong.

"What?" He asked, less irritably this time.

"Luffy's the one they want to blow up!" I blurted. "And they're trying to make the Onibaba do it, but she's hesitating!" That finally got him moving. He leapt up the rest of the building in a white and green blur, serving to further my belief that he was the son of the leprechaun king. I flew over the top of the roof in time to see Zoro block four pirates from killing Nami-baka by simply holding two sheathed katana out horizontally and allowing the pirates to slam their faces into the katana.

"ZORO!" Luffy shouted, smiling like a kid on Christmas. I giggled at the comical sight, and flew over to where Luffy was shut in the cage.

"Hey, Luffy!" I called, waving at him through the bars. He turned to look at me, didn't seem to see me for a second, and then he grinned like a madman.

"Aave! You came too!" He observed excitedly. "Let me loose!"

"Always goofing around." Zoro said with a huff, tapping one of the katana on his shoulder idly. "First you fly off with a bird, and now you're playing in some cage…fool!"

"Aaw, Zoro! That's mean even if it's true!" I said, pouting and crossing my arms as I examined the ropes holding Luffy. Luffy sweatdropped.

"You agree with him…" I decided not to answer, instead opting to pretend that Luffy was a Damsel in Distress, and I was the knight in shining armor, there to save the day. "Poof" a ghost knife appeared in my hand. "Pop" It turned real and I began to cut the rope binding Luffy.

"D-did he just call that guy Zoro?" one of the clowns that were surrounding us said nervously.

"What's Pirate Hunter Zoro doing talking to that thief?" another wondered. _I_ wondered if we would get a clown on the crew. That would be fun…

"The crewmate he was talking about was Pirate Hunter Zoro?" Nami-baka wondered out loud. "And where is the _other_ crewmate? What's going on here?" I blinked in not-surprise as I realized that Nami-baka was talking about me. _He claimed that I was his crewmate again, eh?_ I thought to myself as I sawed through the knot. The way Luffy was bound, it wouldn't do much help to just cut through _one_ piece of the rope. I glanced over at Zoro in time to see a clown in a cape saunter over to him. I dropped my knife with a clatter, and my eyes started to sparkle.

"KING OF CLOWNS!" I screamed, pointing at the king. "SO AWESOME!" Luffy leaned away from my screaming with a slightly pained look on his face. I took that as a lower-your-voice look. I stopped screaming, and instead started to mentally freak out. I always loved clowns. They were funny, and always cheered me up when there was a circus in town.

"So, you're Roronoa Zoro, eh?" I stopped freaking out at his voice. It sounded like a teenage boy going through puberty. I started to bang my head against the top of the cage, and then accidently went through it to land on top of Luffy's lap.

"Sorry."

"S'okay." Meanwhile, the king of clowns was still talking in his annoying voice.

"You must have come to capture me." He sounded so sure of himself that I cringed.

"I gave up pirate hunting." Zoro said. "I have no interest in you." I giggled a little as I picked up the knife, and started working on the knot again, this time sitting next to Luffy. (It was a medium sized cage.)

"Well," The clown king said, twirling some knives. "I'm interested in you. Killing you will be a nice feather in my cap." I glanced at said cap. It was a stereotypical pirate captain's hat, but instead of feathers, it had what looked like blue hair hanging over either end. Another thing I noticed was that he had a large red nose. I turned my attention back to the knot at hand with a shake of my head. _Concentrate…concentrate…concentrate…ooo, a butterfly!_

"GIVE ME ALL YOU'VE GOT, PIRATE HUNTER, 'CAUSE I'M ABOUT TO GET A LOOK AT YOUR BLOOD!" There was a small clash of knives against swords, and then the sound of swords going through flesh, but without the squishy sounds like there should have been.

"Hey!" Luffy exclaimed, not paying attention to the fact that I had almost gotten all of the way through the knot, "That was too easy!" A sense of worry crept up on me, and I frowned as I sawed through the rest of the knot. The rope didn't untangle. Uh oh. I glanced to the side to see the clowns laughing about king clown in bits on the roof.

"There's no blood." I noted aloud.

"Maybe Zoro just cuts that fast?" Luffy suggested.

"Hmph." Zoro said around the sword in his mouth. I was still disappointed over the lack of a third arm… "That was almost disappointing." _I'll say…there's no third arm!_ I stared at Zoro's chest, willing a third arm to appear. It didn't, and I pouted, a dark aura appearing above my head. _That would've been soooo cool!_

"Hey, Zoro!" Luffy called. "Aave didn't cut me free! Get me out of here!" I thwacked him on the head with Bearetta.

"I cut through the knot!" I shrieked at him as Zoro made his way over. "But the ropes didn't fall off! I blame the rope fairies! The most evil fairies of them all!" I turned away in a huff, watching Zoro draw closer, and then his face as it contorted in pain. The world felt like it was moving in slow motion as Zoro fell onto his knees, and made a grab for the armless hand that was stabbing the dagger that it was holding into Zoro's side. All the while, the clowns were laughing.

"WHAT'S GOING ON…!?" Zoro shouted, coughing up blood. I stared wide-eyed at the hole in his side as the hand holding the knife pulled the knife back out of his side.

"The hand!" Zoro shouted, turning to face the floating hand holding the dripping knife. "It's floating!"

"The bara bara no mi!" The annoying puberty voice of the clown king said from behind Zoro, who whipped around to face him. I dropped the knife I was holding in shock as I continued to stare at the wound in Zoro's side.

"THAT WAS THE DEVIL'S FRUIT THAT I ATE!" his hand reequipped to his arm. "YOU CAN SLICE ME, YOU CAN DICE ME, BUT YOU CAN'T KILL ME!" He shouted. "I'M A CHOPCHOPMAN!"

"Unimaginative." I muttered.

"Why do you have a sewing needle and thread?" Luffy asked, still cringing from seeing the wound that king clown had inflicted on Zoro. I looked in surprise at what I was holding.

"Dunno…" I mused.

"But he's a Chopchop man eh, that guy's a freak!" Luffy exclaimed. I fell sideways.

"You're one to talk!" I shouted at him.

"You're a freak too." Luffy said huffily. Nami-baka stared at us. (Luffy, actually. I was still invisible to her.)

"Who are you talking to?" She demanded.

"Aave."

"Your hat?"

"…something like that." He was now glaring at king clown, who was taunting Zoro.

"Roronoa Zoro! You never had a chance! Looks like I missed your vitals…but you still took a serious wound!" Zoro was crouched before him, his back turned to us. My hands curled at my sides, and a sliver of anger started to thread through my veins, turning them to ice.

"Distract him, Luffy." I said. Luffy nodded and took in a breath.

"STABBING SOMEONE IN THE BACK IS FIGHTING DIRTY!… YOU GOT THAT, BIG NOSE?!"

There was a collective gasp from both Nami-baka and the other clowns. I flew silently through the crowd. (Literally) They didn't notice their own Nakama falling to the ground, ice cold.

"YOU FOOL!" Nami-baka shouted. "THAT'S THE ONE THING YOU NEVER-"

"**YOU DARE CALL ME BIG NOSE?!**" King clown threw a knife at Luffy. I yelped as it passed through me, and through the bars, and then slammed into Luffy.

"**LUFFY!**" Zoro and I shouted. _I didn't mean make him attack you! BAKA!_ I quickly flew over, and reached the cage in time to see Luffy lift up his head, the knife in his mouth. He bit down with a grin, and the blade shattered.

"I swear I'm gonna clobber you!" Luffy declared. King clown started to laugh, an irritating, high pitched sound. **A/N: You can probably tell that I don't like Buggy all that much…**

"Heh heh…clobber _me_?" Buggy mocked.

"HEH HEH! CLOBBER ME! DON'T MAKE ME LAUGH! YOU THREE ARE ABOUT TO DIE!"

"It's hopeless." Nami-baka said. "We're dead."

"I'm already dead…" I remarked from beside her. I was still invisible, so she looked freaked out as she glanced around, looking for the owner to the voice. Ooo, she was almost as fun to prank as Zoro was!

"HAHAHA!" Luffy laughed along with king clown…what was his name anyways?

"NO WAY! I'M NOT GONNA DIE!" Luffy shouted with a determined smile on his face. Even though he was tied up and in a cage, I knew he could do it. I trusted him to.

"AND JUST _HOW_ DO YOU INTEND TO CLOBBER ME _NOW_?" king clown(?) demanded.

"Ain't that a laugh, boys?"

"Zoro!" Luffy shouted. "RUN!" Zoro looked at Luffy in confusion before understanding set in.

"Oh…" He said, breathing heavily from the lack of blood. "Gotcha…" I sweatdropped as Nami held her head in between her hands and looked agitated.

"AAVE!" Luffy shouted. I looked over. "FLY!" I grinned, and saluted him.

"Ay ay, mia kapitano!" He looked confused at my word choice, and I grinned as I flew through the pirates near the cannon. They fell to the side, leaving Zoro free to flip the cannon.

"RORONOA ZORO!" king clown(?) shouted as he shot his hands at Zoro. "YOU WONT GET AWAY THAT EASILY! **BARA BARA NO CANNON!**" Zoro deflected the hands with two of his three swords, and ran at the cannon, grabbed it, and with some effort, flipped it so it was pointing at king clown and his clown followers.

"Your guts are splurting out." I remarked, poking his wound.

"Stop that." He said, slapping my hands away. The pirates (plus king clown[?]) started freaking out over a 'special Buggy ball' that was inside of the cannon still.

"LIGHT THIS THING!" Zoro shouted at Nami-baka. She didn't have any trouble lighting the fuse now that it was pointing at meany pirates.

"RIGHT!"

"KABOOM!" I shouted, throwing my hands up into the air. A second later, I was giggling at the loud sound that the cannon made.

"Now's our chance. You're Nami-baka, right?" Zoro asked Nami. She thwacked him in the head with her fist.

"I'M NOT A BAKA!" She shouted. "I'm a thief." I blew a raspberry in her ear. She freaked out and started to look for me again. Luffy laughed.

"Actually, she's our new navigator, so be nice, Aave." I made an 'aaw' sound and became visible. Nami-baka (I was still going to call her that…:P) yelled at Luffy.

"What are you talking about?! Are you crazy?! And shouldn't you be trying to get out of the cage?"

"Oh yeah…Aave? Are you done?" He was looking at the knot I had severed. I shook my head.

"Thar's 'nother knot thar, matey." I donned an eyepatch, and swung an imaginary sword into the sky.

"No problem." Zoro said. He was sweating pretty hard. "You just stay in the cage." He wore a confidant and determined grin on his face, so I entered the cage, and sat behind Luffy so I could braid his hair.

"What are you doing?" Luffy asked me.

"Braiding your hair." I answered.

"Ok." There was some silence until we heard king clown(?) sputtering.

"Zoro! Don't do this!" Luffy begged his first-mate. "Your guts'll squirt out!" I made a face at that mental image and continued to braid Luffy's hair. I squeeked as the cage was suddenly lifted into the air, and onto Zoro's back.

"THEN I'LL JUST SHOVE 'EM BACK IN!" Zoro shouted. "I do things my own way."

"So don't give me any lip about it!" I could tell that this was directed at me. As Zoro leapt over to the next building, and hid us behind a part of the roof that was pointy, I started to softly sing a song that used to cheer me up in the years where no one was on my island. I had learned it from another spirit from another dimension.

"_Raindrops on roses, and whiskers on kittens."_ Luffy was hitting his head against the bars in an attempt to break out. I floated out of the cage, and laid down on top of it.

"Darn it!" Luffy complained. "If only I could get out of this cage!" I had been able to rid him of his ropes, so now he was free(ish).

"_Bright copper kettles and warm woolen mittens._"

"We're in a fine…" Zoro paused for a moment, and a wince made its way across his face. I took Bearetta out from my hat, and dressed her in a fancy plume feather hat and pirates clothing. "…mess." Zoro finished. "Now we've gotta finish what we've started."

"_Brown paper packages tied up with strings…_"

Zoro stood up once the pirates were done searching the main road, and started to drag the cage to the edge of the building. Once he was there, he tossed the cage to the ground, and jumped down. I floated next to him as he dragged the cage down the road. Luffy was gnawing at the bars in an attempt to get out.

"_These are a few of my favorite things…_"

"We should be far enough from that tavern." Zoro grunted, breathing heavily "They probably won't catch up to us too soon…"

"_Cream colored ponies, and crisp apple strudels._"

"We got away…" his sentences were becoming shorter, and the amount of time between when he talked was becoming longer. "for now…but what are we going to do about this cage? And what are you singing?" He looked at me irritably, and I stuck my tongue out at him.

"I can't do _anything _stuck inside here…" Luffy complained.

"I sing it when something scary happens!" I said.

"_Doorbells and sleigh bells and schnitzel with noodles._"

Zoro dropped the cage, and then face-planted into the ground. To my delight, it was in front of that pet shop from earlier. The dog was still there, and I continued to pet her as I sang.

"_Wild geese that fly with the moon on their wings…_"

"It's no use…" Zoro muttered from his spot on the ground. "lost too much blood…got to…rest…"

"_These are a few of my favorite things…_" I uncapped a marker (black), and drew a handlebar moustache on Zoro's upper arm.

"_Girls in white dresses with blue satin sashes…" _Zoro saw the dog, and sat up with a grunt.

"What's up with you, dog?" He asked her. I tittered at him for moving, and thwacked the back of his head.

"She lives here."

"Dog? Hey, a dog!" Luffy said, finally noticing the dog. He rocked the cage he was in over to Zoro and I, and stared the dog in the face.

"Is it real?" Luffy questioned. "It's not moving…"

"Who cares?" Zoro asked. "It's her business if she moves or not. Our business is to get you out of there." I nodded in agreement.

"_Snowflakes that stay on my nose and eyelashes. Silver white winters that melt into springs...these are a few of my favorite thiiiings!"_

"Maybe it's dead." Luffy said, poking the dog between her eyes.

"_When the dog bites!-…"_ Zoro and I stared at the dog now biting Luffy.

"Never, ever, _ever_ sing while I'm fighting." Zoro ordered.

"Yes sir." I said, still staring at Luffy and the dog.

"DUMB DOG! LEMME GO! LEMME GO!" Luffy shouted, punching the dog on the face in an attempt to make her let go. She gripped harder.

"LUFFY, STOP PLAYING AROUND!" Zoro shouted, but then collapsed back onto the ground in exhaustion. I stared at Luffy for a minute, watching as the dog finally let go, and sat back in her place.

"Dumb dog!" Luffy shouted.

"Lost too much blood…" Zoro gasped.

"Can I sing the rest of my song?"

"**NO!**" They shouted in synch.

"Well, fine then!" I stuck my tongue out at them, then pulled a towel out of nowhere, and started to pretend that I was flicking a whip. _Whachshhhhh Smack! _

"Look at you two…" A familiar voice said. I looked over my shoulder to see Nami-baka standing farther down the road with one hand on her hip.

"Not to criticize, but is the middle of the street really the best hiding place you could come up with?"

"Excuuuse me." I said, placing my hands on my hips and pretending to be sassy. "But there are _three_ people here." She stared at me for a moment with sweat running down her face, before she muttered something about a hallucination, and turned back to Zoro and Luffy.

"Hey, it's our Navigator!" Both Zoro and Luffy said.

"I NEVER AGREED TO THAT!" Nami-baka shouted. "I just wanted to thank you for saving me."

"I'm not a hallucination…am I?" I muttered near Luffy. "Am I?"

"Thank us?" Zoro asked as Luffy patted my head. I began to purr. Nope, _not_ a hallucination…Maybe…

"Hey!" Luffy stopped patting my head and looked at a key that clanked in front of his cage. "THE KEY!" He shouted happily. "YOU STOLE THE KEY TO THE CAGE!"

"Hmph." Nami-baka rolled her eyes, and attempted to pretend as though she didn't care. "Yeah, sure…I got the stupid key, but I left the map and all of the treasure."

"Pat my head." I demanded Luffy. He absently began to pat my head as he talked to Nami-baka in excitement.

"This is great!" He laughed, "I thought I'd never get out of here!"

"Then the rescue was a success…after all…" Zoro said. Luffy reached for the key, but before he picked it up, the dog grabbed it in its mouth, and then made a show of swallowing it. There was a pause as all parties (including me) stared at the dog in disbelief before all hell broke loose.

"**COUGH IT UP!**" Luffy screamed, strangling the dog. "**THAT'S NOT FOOD! GIMME THAT KEY!**" The cage filled with smoke as Luffy and the dog started to tussle again.

"DERN WHIPPERSNAPPERS!" Someone shouted from behind us. "DON'T YOU PICK ON POOR OL' CHOUCHOU!"

**Cliffhanger!**

**Omake**

I flew through the forest, happily singing Bink's Sake and pretending that I was one of the archeologists from Ohara, figuring out when the island was created, by whom, and why. So far I had figured out that the island was created forever ago, and was made by a unicorn named Bob because she (yes, she) wanted company.

"Avast there ye landlubbers!" I cried, changing from archeologist to pirate. "Walk the plank!" I burst through the tree line to the beach, and yelped as I flew through someone.

"SORRY!" I shouted, flying back to them and circling until I could see their face. They were blue, but still standing, so I took that as a sign that I hadn't exposed them to the spirit world for too long. "Are you okay?" I asked the man. He was wearing a strawhat.

"Yes. I'm fine. And you are?" He grinned so wide that I thought his head would split in two, and then he laughed. It was a strange laugh, but I rather liked it, and so I laughed along with him.

His grin was fierce, and his eyes intense. He wore his strawhat perched proudly on his black hair, and he wore an open black dress shirt, showing off his abs, and jeans over cowboy boots. He had a sack over his shoulder, and he seemed to have come from the small boat that was docked on the almost non-existent dock. There was another man on the dock, and he was watching us curiously. This man had gold hair slicked back against his head, and a weird beard. He wore circular spectacles, a flower patterned open shirt, khakis, and ankle boots. He also had a scar on his right eye, and I wondered how he got it.

"I'm Aave! And I'm fine. I was wondering about you because, well, I'm not as careful now that there aren't any people living here, and to be honest, I totally forgot that humans freeze up inside when I fly through them, and well, I flew through you s-" I was stopped by a finger hovering near, but not touching, my mouth.

"Whoa there. What do you mean no people are here anymore?"

"They left."

"Why?"

"Because I'm here." There was some silence as the other man joined us.

"What's going on, Roger?" He asked. I tilted my head to the side as the two men had a silent conversation.

"Why are you here alone?" The new man asked. I felt confused. I wasn't alone. I had Fairy Princess, and Queen Margareta to keep me company.

"I'm not alone." I said. I watched them exchange glances again.

"Then where are your parents?"

"Dead, probably reborn." I said. "They should be, by now. They've been dead almost…" I counted on my fingers. "392 years ago…no, 387 years ago!" I smiled at my accomplishment.

"…" There was a moment of silence, and then the newly named Roger started to laugh again.

"Well, hello then, Aave. I'm Gol D Roger! I'm going to overturn the world together with my firt-mate Rayleigh!" I grinned, and concentrated on my hand.

"Pop! Shake!" I held out my hand, and he took it graciously. I turned to the other man next. "And you!" He shook my hand as well, looking a little bemused at the entire situation, and a little worried.

"So, dead 387 years ago means that _you're_ dead too, huh?" The other man said.

"Yup!"

"You don't seem too sad."

"Nope!" He sweatdropped.

"Is there food here?" Roger asked. I nodded.

"Yup!"

"Will you show us where it is?" Rayleigh asked.

"Yup! This way!" I floated back into the forest from where I had emerged, humming as I led them to the overgrown path to the market.

"_Binkusu no sake wo, todoke ni yuku yo, umikaze kimakase namimakase!_" I sang loudly as I flew, and was pleasantly surprised when two other voices joined me.

"_Shio no mukou de, yuuhi no sawagu, sora nya, wa wo kaku, tori no uta~!_" We reached our destination, and I flew over to the fruit produce section, where the fruit had long ago rotted and the pits grew into fruit trees, leaving an abundance of fruit that fell to the ground every year. I did my best to eat it all, but I never could. People who could take all of the fruit off of my hands were welcome.

"Here we go!" I shouted from the top of an apple tree. "Catch!" I started to shake the top, where all of the good juicy ones were, and heard various variations of the word 'ouch' from below. We continued on with the next couple trees, and I told them where the best spots for hunting were. In this way, the day was passed, and they camped out in my favorite clearing.

"-and so he convinced me to take him with me." Rayleigh was telling me how Roger made him join his pirate crew.

"Riehiehiehiehie!" I laughed. "Pirates have the best adventures!" I was slightly envious, mainly because these two could leave their island, and sail to new places.

"Want to come and overturn the world with us?" Roger asked. I blinked at him in surprise, before pulling my hat closer to my eyes so the brim shadowed my face.

"I do…"

"I sense a 'but'." Rayleigh remarked after taking a swig of whatever was in his flask.

"…I can't leave this island." I admitted. Roger looked at me in surprise.

"Can't leave?"

"Whenever I try, I black out and end up back in this clearing." Roger and Rayleigh looked around at the clearing. I looked up with a wide grin.

"But it doesn't bother me as much as it used to!" I said happily. "One of these days, I'll be able to leave, and then I can see the world through the eyes of a pirate!" I laughed, and spun in the air a couple times.

"How did you die?" Roger asked me curiously.

"Roger, that's impolite." Rayleigh berated him. I laughed.

"No, it's fine! Ghosts like being asked that!" Rayleigh gaped at me a little in disbelief.

"I was sick!" I said. "And just wasted away…" it was very anti-climatic, and I wasn't proud about it.

"Ne, Roger?"

"Yeah?"

"Don't die like I did. It's very anti-climatic." I could feel his sickness, like a thrum in the air that was disgustingly sweet.

"…I won't, I promise on this watch." With that, he took a brown and gold pocket watch, and held it in front of me. "and I want _you_ to promise something too." I nodded, and he took my hand and placed the pocket watch in it.

"When you _do_ get off of this island, come and find me." I blinked away tears, and nodded silently. I was a _ghost_. I couldn't cry…right? Wrong.

The next day, I full out sobbed as their boat drew farther and farther away from my island. I clutched the now ghost pocket watch in my left hand, and waved it in the air for as long as I could see them still. I strung the watch onto a chain, and hung it on my neck.

"I PROMISE!" I shouted after them, voice thick with tears.

**A little back story! I hope you liked this one, and thank you for the over 1,000 views! WOW!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Ureshiitamago: Hmmm…wasn't there that report that was due tomorrow? Did I print it?...meh, I'll do it later.**

**Aave: This only proves that you have no life. **

**Ureshiitamago: hmm…I should resent that, but I don't…I am officially a lost cause! *proud***

**Aave: She doesn't own One Piece or any songs that pop up in here! **

**Ureshiitamago: For a bit of a change, I'm going to be doing the thankies this time around!**

**Thank you TheShadowInDarkness for following and favoriting**

**And a special thanks to scarlet rose white for reviewing again!**

**Aave: Onwards! To victory! Or perhaps harsh defeat!**

_ "__**COUGH IT UP!**__" Luffy screamed, strangling the dog. "__**THAT'S NOT FOOD! GIMME THAT KEY!**__" The cage filled with smoke as Luffy and the dog started to tussle again. _

_ "__DERN WHIPPERSNAPPERS!" Someone shouted from behind us. "DON'T YOU PICK ON POOR OL' CHOUCHOU!"_

**Chapter 7: Ghost Fire**

_Poodle hair…_I thought as I looked at the armored old man before us. He was wearing what looked like cheap armor, and was carrying a spear that looked like it would do hardly any damage. _Poodle…_

"Chouchou?" Luffy asked, trying to pry the dog off of his face.

"Who are you, old timer?" Zoro asked.

"Are you a Poodle?" I asked.

"No, I'm not a poodle." The poodle-man said. "I'm the mayor of this town, Mayor Boodle!"

"That sounds like Poodle." I observed.

"I am human." Mayor Poodle Boodle retorted. Then he looked at Zoro, and saw the wound in his side.

"Ah, what a terrible injury." Mayor Poodle Boodle said. "I take it Buggy went after you folks too, eh? We need to get you to a Doctor!" And with that, Zoro was forcibly pulled away by the Mayor to a house down the street.

"So, King Clown's name is Buggy?" I asked Luffy.

"Yeah." Luffy said, reaching out to pat my head again. I began to purr, and we all watched the house, waiting for the Mayor to come back.

"How's Zoro?" Luffy asked the Mayor when he came back. Luffy peeked up through the bars to look him in the face.

"He needs to see a Doctor." Mayor Poodle Boodle said. "But he said he'd sleep it off, and went to bed." I grinned.

"Can I draw a moustache on him again?" I asked Luffy. He laughed, and patted my head, but didn't answer. I took that as a no.

"Aaaaouunmm" Chouchou yawned. Nami-baka started to pat her head.

"So this dog is named Chouchou?" Nami-baka asked the Mayor.

"What's she just sitting here for?" Luffy asked with a laugh.

"Protecting?" I suggested, clipping doggy ears onto Bearetta's head.

"She's guarding the shop." Mayor Poodle Boodle corrected. "I just came to feed her."

"Oh! So she's a guard dog…" Nami-baka looked at the building Chouchou was sitting in front of, "for a Pet Food store." I clipped the tail onto Bearetta, and placed her beside Chouchou. Chouchou sniffed Bearetta, and then wagged her tail.

"A good friend of mine owned this store." Mayor Poodle Boodle explained. I wrinkled my nose. Long explanations and short attention spans didn't go together well…

"About ten years ago, he and Chouchou opened up this little shop. They've got a lot of memories here, and so do I…" The Mayor trailed off as he looked into the distance.

"Is this place your treasure?" I whisper-asked Chouchou, who responded with an equally soft 'woof'.

"See those wounds?" The Mayor pointed out, "She's been fighting the pirates, protecting her store."

"I'm sure this means a lot to her master, but this is just cruel!" Nami-baka said. _She's jumping to conclusions~!_

"Is he at the refugee shelter with the others?" She asked. The Mayor opened the door to the pet shop, walked in, and came back out with a dish full of dog food. He set the dish in front of Chouchou and Bearetta, and Chouchou started to gobble down the food.

"No, he's not…" Mayor Poodle Boodle said, sitting on the porch, and watching Chouchou devour her food. "He got sick and passed away."

"He went to the hospital three months ago."

"The poor thing!" Nami-baka said sympathetically. "You mean she's been waiting here for her master the whole time?" I started to do barrel rolls in the air, listening to Boodle, but at the same time, thinking about what it would be like to be a bird.

"That's what everybody says, but that's not what I think." Boodle said. "Chouchou is a smart dog. She probably already knows that her master is dead." I floated over to Luffy, and sat on top of the cage.

"Then why does she still guard the store?" Nami-baka asked. The answer was obvious to me, and probably Luffy too. Treasures were the most important things.

"This is her master's store. It's his treasure." Boodle replied. I unconsciously gripped my pocket watch with my hand.

"And I think that Chouchou still guards the store because it's all that's left of her beloved master." The Mayor took a long drag on his pipe. _Where did that come from?_ I wondered.

"I've been trying to get her to the shelter, but she won't budge from this spot." Smoke slowly curled away from the Mayors mouth, and I watched it dance up into the sky.

"She'd rather starve than leave her post." There was a moment of silence as I tried to catch the smoke in my hands, failing every time, but still giggling like a madchild.

"**ROOOOOWWWWWRRRR!**" I flew backwards a few feet, and then righted myself, and watched Boodle and Nami-baka run off.

"MOHJI THE LION TAMEERR!" Shouted Boodle as he ran past me. I blinked.

"A lion? Cool!" I flew over to Luffy, who was demanding the key from Chouchou.

"Hey Luffy, Poodle Boodle said that there's going to be a Lion coming this way!" I said excitedly. "A real live lion!" I threw imaginary flowers in the air and skipped in a circle.

"Give me that key, dog."

"Dogs can't throw up when you say so." I informed him. There was a shiver in the air that rustled my hair around my hat, and I looked over my shoulder to find myself face to muzzle with the lion. I looked up, and up, and up, and finally saw its eyes. They were red with black dots in the center. Something bubbled up in my chest, and I couldn't help myself.

"KITTY!" I cried, becoming normal for a moment so I could squeeze the lion. I squawked as the lion smacked my side, and I slammed against the cage that Luffy was in. I fell through into Luffy's arms.

"Hehe, soft!" I chortled. Luffy sweatdropped.

"Even _I_ think that hugging a lion is a bad idea…" He said. "I tend to eat them instead."

"Ooo! How do you cook them?" I asked.

"Hmm, I slowly roast them over a fire." As we were talking, the weirdo man sitting on top of the Lion was becoming more and more irritated.

"SHUT UP! I'M TRYING TO TELL YOU ABOUT YOUR DOOM!" He finally shouted.

"He interrupted us." I noted.

"Yeah, he interrupted us." Luffy agreed.

"Not fair. BOO!"

"BOO!"

"STOP IT! Ahem." He cleared his throat. I wondered if the weird bear pattern he was wearing was his hair…naw, that would be _too_ weird…

"As I was saying," he folded his arms in what he seemed to think was a threatening manner, "I'm Mohji, Buggy's first-mate. They call me the Lion tamer!"

"Oh, I see your Nakama have deserted you!"

"No, they haven't." Luffy said. "There's one here." He pointed at me, and I pouted.

"No, I'm not. I'm haunting your ship. There's a difference!"

"I'M NOT FINISHED!" Mohji yelled. We shut up. "Just after you managed to escape, too…Captain Buggy is pretty worked up." The lion started to shift from paw to paw. "You guys stirred up a real hornet's nest."

"What's with that weird animal suit?" Luffy asked, patting my head.

"**WHAT?!**" Mohji shouted with rage. "**COSTUME?! THIS IS MY HAIR!**" He pointed at the bear ears on his head. I grimaced in disgust.

"Eeew."

"That only makes it weirder." Luffy commented.

"**SHUT UP!**" Mohji demanded. "Maybe you think you're safe in that cage…if so, then you really don't know who I am." I purred as Luffy kept on patting me on the head. Was this how cats and dogs felt when they were being petted? If so, I finally understood why they loved it. It was soooo soothing.

"There's not an animal alive that I can't control. I can even control that mutt." He pointed at Chouchou.

"I wouldn't bet on it." I muttered so only Luffy could hear. He chuckled as I was proved right when Mohji tried to make Chouchou shake his hand, but was bitten instead. Mohji climbed back onto his lion, and pretended that he wasn't just bitten.

"You're just a nobody thief." He said, narrowing his eyes.

"Haha! Dog got you!" Luffy and I sang at the same time. Mohji's face darkened.

"You're nothing to me." He said. "Now tell me where Roronoa Zoro is." The lion growled.

"No!" Luffy replied with his own growl.

"THEN DIE!" Mohji shouted. "GET THEM, RICHIE!" The lion jumped at us, and Luffy let go of me so I could be transparent again. The cage crumbled underneath the large feline's claws, and the pieces flew everywhere.

"HOORAY! I'M FREE!" Luffy yelled as he jumped out of the way, only to be hit be Richie's paw and slammed through a building.

"Nobody could survive that." Mohji said. "Serves him right. C'mon Richie, let's go find Roronoa Zoro. Killing him will give our reputation a big boost." I floated in front of the lion and his tamer, and stared at them. They stared back, and then Richie's stomach growled.

"Ah, a pet food store. Just what we need." Mohji said, completely ignoring me. "Ok, fine. Have a quick snack, but be quick about it."

"NO FURTHER!" I shouted, flinging my arms out to block their path. Chouchou growled furiously next to me.

"What, do you two think you can stop us from entering that store?" Mohji asked. I gritted my teeth, and glared at them, ice beginning to crawl through my veins. Chouchou barked next to me, standing up into a fighting stance.

"You two…don't tell me you're guarding this crummy store." He said. Fury started to overwhelm me, and I felt the temperature drop a few degrees around me. Richie's paw went through me to connect with Chouchou, who yelped as she flew through the air into a wall.

"CHOUCHOU!" I yelled, but didn't move from my spot. I was guarding her treasure. I couldn't let this guy through. Richie was staring at his paw, which was covered in frost and ice.

"Go on, Richie. The girl can't do anything." I solidified my hands at that statement, and imagined a dagger. "Poof" "Pop"

"No. Further." I ground out, stabbing Richie on the muzzle. He yowled, and reared backwards to hold his muzzle in between his paws. I felt the weight of the watch around my neck as I swung at Richie again as he lunged forwards. Unfortunately, one of his paws caught my hand holding the dagger, and because it was real, I was sent flying through a wall. I flew back through just in time to see Chouchou go flying again, and then get back up to throw herself at the intruder. She bit Richie's leg, and I stabbed his shoulder, but he just looked at us like we were flies, and sent Chouchou flying again. Desperate, I flew through him, causing most of his body to freeze from cold, but he plowed onwards (a bit more slowly) onto the porch. I floated next to Chouchou, who was dripping blood, and staggering, but still trying to protect her master's treasure. I imagined Bearetta growing to the size of a real bear, and threw her in front of Richie. As she grew, Mohji decided to mock us.

"My-oh-my. You two don't know when to quit." He crowed. "Do you two have a death sentence?" Richie growled, and rushed at Chouchou while Chouchou aimed for his leg. I aimed for Mohji.

"I'M ALREADY DEAD!" I shouted, driving the knife into his shoulder. He let out a satisfying yelp, and he made Richie jump away. Chouchou and I stood in front of Bearetta, who was now blocking the door completely. Mohji didn't say anything, and instead threw a flaming torch (where did _that_ come from?) at the store. I reached up to grab it, but missed. It flew over my head, and onto the veranda above. Without my concentration on her, Bearetta disappeared with a pop. I flew up to the veranda, and tried to stop the flames from spreading. After what seemed like hours, the flames were out. I felt despair weigh me down to the ground as I looked around. I wasn't able to save all of it. The building was still standing, but it was really just charred remains. That's when I noticed that I was trembling, and that I felt tired.

"I must've pushed my spirit to its limits." I said to myself, floating out of what was left of the door. No more fighting for the time being. Chouchou was sitting in front of the house, howling at the remains. I sat on the ground next to her, and stared at them with hollow eyes. Suddenly, a presence appeared behind me that I didn't want to face. I lowered my head onto my knees, and tugged my hat farther down my head.

"…" We didn't say anything. Luffy set his hand on my head, and I could hear the flop of his sandals as he started to walk away.

"Lu-luffy?" I called after him, tears clogging my throat.

"…"

"Get him good!" I shouted. The sound of his sandals disappeared, and I was left with Chouchou. I started to cry then.

"I'm s-sorry I c-couldn't stop hi-him, Chouchou." I said. Chouchou stared at the remains, and then sniffed me. I looked up at her, and she barked slightly. I turned into human for a second, and she licked my face. _You did your best._ I reburied my head in my knees, and started crying again. Because I was a ghost, she lost most of her treasure. Because I was a ghost, she took that hit instead of me. I heard some yelling in the background, and sandals flopping against the ground. Luffy was back. I heard a plunk, and looked up slightly to see Luffy set a rumpled box of pet food in front of Chouchou.

"That's all I could save for you, girl." He said, picking me up and placing me in his lap as he sat next to Chouchou.

"The rest got eaten. But thanks to Aave here, your home didn't completely get burned." There was a smile in his voice, and I curled up against him, not saying anything.

"You two fought well!" He said. "I didn't get to see you in action, but I know you two did good!" I sniffled, and looked at Chouchou. She was staring at the box in front of her. She picked it up, and turned to go. After a few steps, she dropped the box, turned her head, and barked.

"WAN!"

"Thanks!" Luffy said. "Good luck to you too!"

"WAN! WAN!" Chouchou picked her box back up, and wandered away.

"You did good." Luffy said to me. "Don't think you didn't." I nodded, playing with my pocket watch. Would Roger think that I did good?

I heard the clacking of footsteps, and looked up to see Nami-baka walking up to us. She smiled brightly.

"Sorry I yelled at you earlier." She said.

"Huh?" Luffy looked at her in slight confusion, and shifted me so I was riding piggyback. I drooped over his shoulder, and halfheartedly dressed Bearetta up in black mourning clothes.

"That's ok." Luffy said, taking Bearetta and the previous clothes she had on, and changing them back. "I know you lost someone to pirates. I understand…not that I want to hear the details or anything." He handed Bearetta back to me. I grabbed for his hat, and let out a yelp when he tickled my side.

"I CAN'T STAND IT NO MORE!" Poodle Boodle shouted at the sky. "I CAN'T STAND ANYMORE OF THEIR CRUEL BULLYING! NOT AFTER THE WAY CHOUCHOU AND THESE TWO KIDS FOUGHT BACK SO BRAVELY!" He crouched down, trembling with anger.

"WHAT KIND OF A MAYOR STANDS BACK AND WATCHES HIS TOWN BE DESTROYED?!"

"Mayor!" Nami-baka pleaded. "Please calm down!" I hung on Luffy's neck, watching the proceedings with wide eyes.

"**SOMETIMES, A MAN'S GOTTA DO WHAT A MAN'S GOTTA DO!**" The Mayor shouted, and turned to Luffy. "**ISN'T THAT RIGHT, SONNY, LITTLE MISS?!**" I nodded, and Luffy grinned.

"That's right!" Luffy said. "You said it, old man!"

"DON'T ENCOURAGE HIM!" Nami-baka shouted at us. _Shark teeth…_

"FORTY YEARS OF HARD WORK!" Mayor Boodle shouted. He didn't look so much like a poodle anymore. "This place was a wilderness when we got here. 'We'll build our town right here!', 'We'll forget our old town that the pirates destroyed!'" The three of us listening to him stiffened. Pirates had destroyed their old town?

"At first, it was just a few homes." The Mayor smiled. "But slowly our numbers grew. We worked hard, cleared the land. Over time people came and opened up shops!" He spread his arms wide, and looked out at the main street with all of its houses.

"AND LOOK AT US NOW!" He shouted. "WE'RE A THRIVING PORT! WE OLD TIMERS BUILT THIS TOWN FROM NOTHING! IT'S **OUR** LIFE'S WORK! **THIS TOWN AND ITS PEOPLE ARE MY TREASURE! I'D BE A SORRY EXCUSE FOR A MAYOR IF I DIDN'T TRY TO PROTECT THE TOWN! ****_I'M GONNA FIGHT!_**"

"**_KABOOOOOM!_**" The houses on the other side of the street fell down like dominoes.

"IIYAAA!" I shouted as Luffy fell backwards onto me. He quickly got up and made sure that I was okay.

"NGH! MY HOUSE!" The Mayor shouted. "IT'S RUINED!" Realization struck both Luffy and I at the same time.

"HEY!" we shouted in panic. "ZORO WAS SLEEPING IN THERE!" I flew off of Luffy and streaked into the wreckage.

"ZORO! ZORO!" I called. "SON OF THE LEPRECHAUN KING!"

"HEY, ZORO!" Luffy shouted from the street. "ARE YOU ALIVE?"

"IIYAA!" I screamed as some wreckage moved, and Zoro sat up. I rushed back to Luffy and bowled him over.

"HE'S A ZOMBI!" I shouted.

"EEEEH?"

"Uuugh" Zoro groaned. "That's one heck of an alarm clock." I looked over my shoulder to see Zoro holding his head.

"Phew, false alarm." I said happily.

"He's alive!" Luffy cheered.

"How could anyone live through _that_?" Nami-baka wondered aloud.

"He's a monster." I answered, despite knowing that she would ignore me.

"…! THAT TEARS IT!" The MAyro shouted. I glomped Luffy from behind again, and hung on like a koala.

"Mayor!" Nami-baka exclaimed.

"I CAN'T TAKE IT ANYMORE!" He shouted, slamming the armor over his chest. "I WONT LOSE A SECOND TOWN TO THOSE SEA RATS! THESE PIRATES, SHOW UP, THINK THEY CAN DO AS THEY PLEASE…" he was pumping himself up to go do something incredibly stupid and brave, and I supported him.

"BUT I WONT LET 'EM WRECK FORTY YEARS OF HARD WORK!" He swung his spear over his head. "I'M THE **MAYOR**! I WON'T TAKE THIS SITTING DOWN!" He started to run off, but Nami-baka grabbed onto his arm to try and stop him.

"MAYOR! PLEASE WAIT!" She shouted, panicking.

"LET ME GO, GIRLY!" He shouted at her, straining against her hold.

"GETTING YOURSELF KILLED WONT ACCOMPLISH ANYTHING!" She shouted, conviction in her voice. "YOU'RE BEING RECKLESS!"The Mayor turned arouns suddenly, and we could all see the tears running down his cheeks.

"**_I _****KNOW****_ I'M BEING RECKLESS!_**" He yelled. In her surprise, Nami-baka let go of his arm, and he ran in the direction of the tavern.

"BUGGY THE CLOWN, PREPARE TO FACE THE MAYOR!" He shouted as he ran.

"The Mayor…" Nami-baka said, "he was crying."

"It didn't look that way to me." Luffy said.

"I didn't see anything!" I piped up from Luffy's back.

"Things are finally getting fun!" Zoro exclaimed happily. I grinned at the moustache that was still on his arm.

"Hahaha, yeah!" Luffy laughed. I made Bearetta do cartwheels in midair.

"This is no laughing matter!" Nami-baka shouted.

"I'm out for now." I said. Zoro and Luffy looked at me. "My spirit stuff is low. If I do anything more, I'll disappear for either days or years. The fire wiped me out." Luffy nodded, and Zoro snorted. I threw Bearetta at Zoro's head, and snickered as she hit her mark.

"YA IMP!" Zoro shouted.

"WHAT ABOUT THE MAYOR?!" Nami-baka shouted impatiently.

"Don't worry." Luffy said. "I like that old man. I won't let him get killed." He grinned determinedly.

"How can you just stand there laughing?" Nami-baka demanded. "What do you get out of this, anyway?"

"We're heading for the Grand Line." Luffy said. Suddenly, the atmosphere turned serious. "We'll steal that map back, and then we can go there together!" I inwardly groaned. He was inviting the person who ignored me onto the crew…oh well; at least she was going to be fun to prank.

"Join up with us!" Luffy said, holding out his hand for a handshake. "You want the map and all that treasure, right?"

"…I won't become a pirate…" Nami-baka said, and then slapped his hand. "Let's just say we'll 'join forces'…work together for a common goal."

"Does this mean that Nami-baka is going to stop ignoring me?" I asked Luffy. Nami grew shark teeth.

"I'M NOT A BAKA!" She shouted. I stuck my tongue out at her, and then burst into giggles as Luffy tickled my sides mercilessly.

"You're coming too?" Nami-baka asked Zoro as we started walking to the tavern. "What about your wounds?"

"They got better." Zoro answered nonchalantly.

"That's impossible!" Nami-baka yelled at him. Luffy and I looked back at them.

"I'm more worried about my reputation than my guts, right now." Zoro said, tying his black bandana around his head. "I've got a score to settle. Let's do it!" Luffy cracked his knuckles.

"I can't wait!" He said.

"Don't ruin your hat. I don't want it dead before I steal it!" I called from his back.

"I won't." Luffy said.

"You three are crazy!" Nami-baka said. I grinned into the back of Luffy's neck, and then put a crazy face on and looked back at her.

"Aand what makes you saaay thaaat~?" She squeeked, and hid a little behind Zoro. I laughed, and climbed onto Luffy's shoulders.

"ONWARDS!" I shouted, pointing forwards. I giggled as Luffy sped up, and I heard Zoro and Nami-baka speed up behind us as well. Soon, we were at the tavern, and saw Mayor Boodle being strangled by Buggy. Luffy picked me off of his shoulders, and placed me on the ground. He pried the hand off of Mayor Boodle's neck, and grinned up at Buggy.

"I'm back!" Luffy said, somehow making such a friendly tone seem slightly menacing. "I told you I'd clobber you!" He let go of Buggy's hand, and allowed it to return to its owner.

"I DON'T BELIEVE IT!" Buggy shouted. I cringed at his voice. Seriously? Decide on an age! "YOU TWO MUST ENJOY PAIN!" The hand snapped back onto Buggy's wrist. "BUT THIS TIME YOU WONT ESCAPE ME!"

"Have fun fighting, boys and ghost." Nami-baka said. "I'm just here for the map and treasure!"

"Whatever…" Zoro said. I looked up at her from my spot on the ground.

"I'm playing with Bearetta and Fairy Queen right now, not fighting." I corrected her. She looked down at my bear.

"There's only one bear…" She said.

"Fairy Queen is right in front of you." I said, pointing at Fairy Queen, who was making faces at Nami-baka. Nami-baka looked around, and then hit her fist onto her other palm.

"Ah, an imaginary friend." She said. I shook my head, but didn't say anything else.

"You young whippersnappers!" The Mayor coughed. I assumed he wasn't talking to me. I was waaaay older than him. "You're outsiders!..." He coughed. "Not your fight! This is _my_ battle!" He stood up and grabbed his spear. "IT'S _MY_ TOWN, AND _I'LL_ PROTECT IT! SO DON'T INTERFERE!" _THWAK!_ I didn't look up as I heard something smash into something else. I was too busy making new clothes for Bearetta with Fairy Queen.

"MAYOR?!" Nami-baka shouted. I looked up as the Mayor fell facedown next to me. I looked up at Luffy, who was dusting off his hands.

"WHO'S SIDE ARE YOU ON?!" Nami-baka shouted at Luffy. "WHY'D YOU DO THAT TO THE MAYOR?!"

"Aave." I looked at Luffy expectantly. "Watch him?" I nodded, and moved from sitting on the ground to sitting on the Mayor's back.

"He was in the way!" Luffy said in answer to Nami-baka's question.

"Good thinking." Zoro said. "He would've gotten himself killed. He'll be safer unconscious and guarded by someone who's already dead."

"YOU'RE TOO RECKLESS!" Nami-baka shouted, her teeth once again shark teeth. _I wonder if one of her parents is a shark…_ I wondered as I attached lace onto a poofy hat that Fairy queen had made.

"**HEY YOU!**" Luffy shouted at Buggy. "**BIG NOSE!**"

**And I'm ending it there! Don't expect this many updates on normal weekends please. It's only when I'm denying that I have homework that I update this many times…hehhehheh. **

**That being said, I will update regularly on weekends (or try to…)**

**Byebye for now!**


	8. Chapter 8

**Ureshiitamago: XD Been a while guys!**

**Aave: Yerp! Haahaahaaaaaa.**

**Ureshiitamago: Aave, do the thankies!**

**Aave: Heeere we go!**

**We would like to thank; don'ttellmewhattodo, L'ceil, PlutoAn, BlueFightingPanda, Jisca, StoriesUnleashed, RavenWhite'sFeatheredPen, acacia626, Artemisgt, code93, the-person-over-the-rainbow, AngelFallen666, , Spirit rune, The Fool Arcana, and almakarma18 for following/favoriting this story!**

**A special thanks to Quirky kit and scarlet rose white for reviewing!**

**Ureshiitamago: Awesome! Disclaimer; I don't own One Piece! Ialsogotover2,000viewsSQUEEEEEEE!**

_ "__YOU'RE TOO RECKLESS!" Nami-baka shouted, her teeth once again shark teeth. _I wonder if one of her parents is a shark…_ I wondered as I attached lace onto a poofy bonnet that Fairy queen had made. _

_ "__**HEY YOU!**__" Luffy shouted at Buggy. "__**BIG NOSE!**__"_

**Chapter 8: A Great Ghost**

I giggled as Buggy, his clowns, Nami-baka, and Zoro all gaped at Luffy in disbelief.

"That was funny!" I called out from my perch on top of the Mayor. I placed the bonnet on top of Bearetta's head as Luffy grinned at me.

"Thanks!"

"**_KILL HIM!_**" Buggy shouted in a rage. "**_GIVE 'IM THE BUGGY BALL!_**" I bit my bottom lip in concentration as I strung tiny bits of thread through boots for Bearetta while Fairy Queen knitted an apron.

"**_FIIIIIIRE!_**" Buggy shouted. I barely flinched as the cannon fired at Luffy. If he hadn't died from a cannonball once already, then he wouldn't die this time. Zoro and Nami-baka yelled in panic and dove out of the line of fire while Luffy just stood there, and took a deep breath.

"That measly cannonball's not going to work on me!" He said. "Gomu gomu no…BALLOON!" There was overall shock from the masses, excepting Zoro who just looked annoyed.

"WHAT THE HECK _IS_ THAT GUY?!" Buggy shouted.

"HE TOOK A DIRECT HIT FROM A BUGGY BALL!" The rest of the clowns shouted.

"**AND HE BOUNCED IT BAAACK!**" They screamed as the cannonball shot back towards them. I was amazed that none of them had tried to jump off the roof…oh, but then they'd die…humans were soooo weird…

"You could've at least told us what you were planning…" Zoro muttered. So _that's_ why he looked so annoyed…I attached the apron to Bearetta as the tavern exploded.

"That evens the odds a little!" Luffy said, holding his hat down to stop it from flying away in the resulting shockwave. "Let's get 'em!"

"…WHAT _ARE_ YOU?!" Nami-baka screamed at him. She had fallen to the ground in shock.

"Made me worried for nothing…" Zoro muttered again. I punched the air.

"WOOHOO! GO LUFFY, ZORO, AND NAMI-BAKA!" I shouted, dancing on the Mayor's back. "OOO AAAH OOO AAAH, HOO HAAH!" I made up a cheer routine on the spot, swinging my spindly arms in circles and hopping on one foot.

"What was that last bit?" Zoro asked me over his shoulder while Nami-baka scolded Luffy.

"Ooo aaah ooo aaah, hoo haah." I chirped, sitting back down and picking Bearetta up again. I proceeded to ignore him as he sighed and turned back to Luffy and Nami-baka. I muttered irritably as I heard shouts, but looked up when I heard a scream. It was Mohji, flying straight at Luffy. I scowled at him.

"Outta _my_ way, fuzzy." Luffy said before kicking the flying man into a wall. I smiled, cheered, and went back to pinning the dress to fit Bearetta.

"The battle begins!" I heard Luffy exclaim.

"Good luck!" I called out, not looking up from my pinning. There was a clang of sword on sword. I suspected that Zoro had started fighting. I hoped that he didn't make his injury worse…

No. Such. Luck. I had to fight myself from leaving the Mayor and interfering in Zoro's fight against an acrobat. Zoro had purposely cut his owie further open, and I could feel a sympathy ache in my own side the longer I stared at it. Luffy hadn't looked to happy as the acrobat had cheated either, but he didn't go rushing into the battle, so I tried to take his example.

"This is hard." I muttered to Margareta, who had taken the place of Fairy Queen to hold my back in case I tried to help. I had learned from the Sparrow Pirates that interfering in a battle between two swordsmen (or pirates) was a bad thing, and was something that I should never do. But it was so _hard_ when one of them was bleeding badly, and he happened to be your crewmate.

"Hooph!" Zoro let out a pained breath. "My goal is to be the world's greatest swordsman." He said, not a bit of pain in his voice.

"What are you talking about?" The acrobat asked, shaking a little from fear.

"**Is this enough of a handicap for you?**" Zoro asked, unsheathing his white sword and biting onto the handle. "**Now I'll show you some real swordplay!**" I let out a breath I didn't realize I had been holding. Luffy and I seemed to be on the same page, as we both shouted;

"WOW! ZORO'S SOO COOL!" The acrobat ignored us, staring at Zoro with trepidation.

"Hmph…So, Roronoa Zoro…you want to make a fool out of _me_?" The acrobat asked as he attempted (key word; attempted) to stare down Zoro. I was engrossed by the blood dripping off of Zoro's sword. His blood…_her _blood…too late, I realized that I was about to have a flashback.

"Margareta, catch me!" I managed to hiss out before I fell backwards off of the Mayor. The last thing I heard was the clashing of swords, and Luffy shouting;

"WOOHOO! GO ZORO!"

**Flashback**

_Hoshi-chan stood in front of me, the eye that was blue facing me. There was a grin on her face, but a grimace in her voice. _

_ "__Don't cry, Aave-yuuyuu!" She said, blood slowly dribbling from the corner of her mouth that I could see. Her half blue, half brown hair fluttered as she bent to pick up her blue and brown patchwork top hat. She carefully set her cane on her arm, and threw some confetti in the air._

_ "__I know that you want to be scared, and sad, but don't. I forbid it. Captain's orders." She turned to me, and I could see the arrow protruding from her chest. She crouched down so that she was level with my scared eyes. Her eyes, right one soft brown, left one a blue that made her look slightly crazy, twinkled at me reassuringly, but I didn't feel reassured in the least._

_ "__It's ok. That _bastard_" she spat the word with so much venom that it shocked me, "won't be back. Ever." She took off her brown arm long arm band, and wrapped it around my bleeding arm. My blood immediately stained it white, and Hoshi-chan ruffled my hair. Slowly, I could see her eyes, once so full of life and mischief, start to dim. _

_ "__Remember to stay pure, mia etulo*, and I hope you find the Nakama who will be able to make this place let you go…" She trailed off as she slumped forwards, and I realized with a pang that I could no longer feel her soul in her body. _

_ "__H-Hoshi-chan?" I asked, hesitantly brushing my fingers against her neck, hoping to find a pulse. There was none. "Hoshi-chan?" I asked, more alarmed. She was leaning against my shoulder, and in the background, I could hear the voices of her crew growing louder. Over her shoulder I could see the dead body of _him_. I sat on the ground with Hoshi-chan's body leaning on me. I stared at nothing, my brain trying to process what just happened. Then I screamed…_

**Flashback ends**

I gasped as I sat up, and looked around wildly. I was sitting on the ground, the Mayor in front of me. I moved from sitting to a crawling pose, and then scooted over to the Mayor, and peeked over his back.

"Oni…GIRI!" Zoro slashed through the acrobat, and blood spurted from the acrobat's chest. The acrobat fell as Buggy shouted his name.

"CABAJI!" Ah, so that was his name… "Ggh, HOW COULD THESE COMMON THIEVES HAVE BEATEN US?!" Buggy shouted. I tapped my fingers on the Mayors armor, and watched Zoro as he sheathed his swords.

"WE'RE THE BUGGY PIRATE GANG—THE SCOURGE OF THE SEAS! HOW COULD THINGS HAVE GONE THIS FAR?!" Cabaji fell to the ground, but he wasn't dead.

"We're not _common_ thieves.." Zoro huffed, sliding off his bandana, and then falling to the ground himself.

"We're _pirates_." He looked over to Luffy. "Luffy. I'm going to sleep now." Zoro informed him.

"Go ahead and sleep." Luffy said, swinging his arm in preparation for the battle. "I'll take it from here!" I gingerly sat on top of Mayor Boodle again, and looked over at Margareta.

"Could you lean him against a wall so he's out of the way?" I asked. "Preferably the one next to me, then I can draw on him." Margareta nodded with a smile, and pulled Zoro over to the wall next to me, where I promptly took out y pink marker and drew BAKA all over his face. He groaned and tried to swat my hand away, but I kicked him on the head, and then placed my hand over his owie, cooling it off. He sighed, and returned to snoring. I glanced over at Luffy, who was talking to Buggy about someone called red haired Shanks. Shanks. Shanks. Sounded familiar…

"…You know Shanks?" Luffy asked in a slightly disbelieving tone.

"Hmm." Buggy frowned. "You seem real interested…yes, I know him. What's it to you?"

"Where is he now?" Luffy demanded, looking serious. My gaze flicked back and forth between them. I was slightly unsettled from my flashback, and I felt my stomach twist unpleasantly as I realized that this was the same position that Hoshi-chan and _him_ were in.

"So you want to know where he is, eh?" Buggy said, stroking an imaginary beard. "Well, maybe I know…and then again, maybe I don't." I blew a quiet raspberry at him. _Ppphhhththh_.

"What are you talking about?" Luffy asked, looking at Buggy like he was crazy. "Are you an idiot?"

"WATCH YOUR TONGUE, BOY!" Buggy screeched.

"Luffy isn't a boy…" I muttered quietly. Margareta handed me my hat, and started to comb my hair. I made a cat face, but stayed focused on the conversation.

"We're mortal enemies…" I blanked, and looked around. Where did Nami-baka go?

"Margareta? Did you see where Nami-baka went?" I whisper-asked her. She pointed to a nearby house. "Thanks" I flew by Luffy, invisible.

"I'm going to make sure that Nami-baka doesn't get herself killed." I whispered in his ear. "Mayor should be fine with Zoro next to him." Luffy nodded imperceptibly, and I flew over to the house that Margareta had pointed to. I was about to go in, when I saw a flash of orange at the corner. I floated through both walls, and emerged to her right.

"Nami-baka." I whispered, tugging on her t-shirt sleeve. I caught a glimpse of something blue on her skin, and was about to tug up the sleeve farther to see what it was, when he hand clamped down on it, and she turned to look at me.

"What?" She hissed. I blinked at the rage hidden in her eyes.

"Aren't you supposed to be robbing Buggy blind?" I asked curiously. She was about to answer, when there was a large _KRASH!_, and our heads whipped around to see Luffy's feet protruding from some wreckage. We watched silently as Luffy exploded from the ruins, and plopped his hat back on his head.

"Darn." He said, sounding a little exasperated, "How am I supposed to whack you when you keep flying to pieces?" _Good question_ I thought.

"What a fight!" Nami-baka said shakingly. "It's like I'm seeing things."

"You aren't." I stated bluntly. She glared at me.

"Way to reassure me." She whisper-shouted. I shrugged, and started quietly singing as I watched the fight.

"_I wanna be the very best, like no one ever waaas…_"

"Bara bara no…HARPOON!" Buggy launched his hand (holding three daggers) at Luffy, who caught it, and tried to force it away from his face.

"_To catch them is my real test, to train them is my cau-_" I broke off as Buggy's hand detached at the wrist, and sliced Luffy's cheek and the brim of his hat. _Uh oh spaghetti-ohs._

"…" There was silence as Luffy sat up and stared at his hat for a moment before turning to glare murderously at Buggy.

"Damn you!" He growled through gritted teeth.

"Whattsa matter?" Buggy asked him mockingly. "Baby got a boo-boo?" My fists bunched at my sides as I stared at his hat.

"THAT DOES IT!" Luffy shouted. "YOU NICKED MY HAT!"

"So?" Buggy asked. I growled at his blatant disregard for treasures.

"**THIS IS MY TREASURE!**" Luffy shouted. He looked furious beyond belief. "**NOBODY DAMAGES THIS HAT!**" My hands involuntarily went to my own hat. Nami-baka watched with a surprised look on her face.

"I thought nothing fazed this guy…" She whispered to me before looking at my face, and her eyes widened in fear. I thought I knew why. Fury was coursing through me, and it wasn't the cold fury, no. It was the raging fire of fury. At this point, I was positive that I could've burned the whole city with my rage, but I restrained myself. This was Luffy's fight.

"It's that important to you, huh?" Buggy observed.

"THAT'S RIGHT!" Luffy shouted. Buggy grinned, and my raging fury turned into trepidation. I saw the floating hand, and warned Luffy.

"WATCH YOUR HAT!" I screamed, pulling Nami-baka back so we wouldn't be seen. Luffy turned to run from the daggers, but tripped on a piece of wood. I watched as the daggers, in what seemed like slow motion, stabbed through the strawhat and ripped it out of Luffy's hand before flying back to Buggy with its prize.

"GAHAHAHA!" Buggy laughed while holding up the daggers, upon which perched Luffy's treasure. I started to see red.

"I PROMISED TO RETURN THAT HAT TO SHANKS!" Luffy shouted as he ran at Buggy.

"What?" Buggy threw the hat on the ground. "This is Shanks's hat? I thought it looked familiar…" Buggy spat, and the spit landed on the hat. I could feel myself erupt into flames, and I grabbed the wall next to me to stop myself from interfering in Luffy's battle.

"Shanks and I worked on the same pirate ship a long time ago. We were both young…apprentice pirates, you might say." I bit down on my bottom lip to keep myself from going ballistic, and glanced over at Luffy. He seemed to be taking this worse than I did, though it _was_ his treasure that was being disfigured and disrespected.

"Shanks is a great man." Luffy said as he continued to run at Buggy. Luffy wound up his arm to punch. "Apprentice pirates…together?"

"BARA BARA NO…QUICK ESCAPE!" Buggy shouted as his head detached from the rest of his body and flew up into the air.

"**DON'T PUT YOURSELF ON THE SAME LEVEL AS HIM!**" The punch was a fake-out, and Luffy kicked Buggy hard in the stomach. Or was it the jewels…whichever it was, the face Buggy made did a lot to calm my anger. Buggy flew backwards, and landed on the ground a few feet away from where he had been standing.

"Darn you! You ruined my hat!" Luffy accused him, looking at his hat. Buggy groaned and started to cough. Luffy jumped onto Buggy's stomach, and started to rub the top of his strawhat on Buggy's mouth.

"And you spat on it!"

"YECH! STOP IT!" Buggy demanded.

"It's your own spit!" Luffy exclaimed, not stopping. He then set his hat aside, pinched Buggy's cheeks, and pulled hard.

"Don't ever mention Shanks and yourself…" he said, glaring at Buggy, "in the same sentence again!"

"Hmph! I don't know what your connection to Shanks is…" buggy said, looking mighty hilarious trying to talk with his cheeks stretched out. "But I'll say whatever I like about him!"

"Oh yeah?!" Luffy yelled.

"BARA BARA NO…"

"DON'T COME APART!" Luffy yelled, karate chopping Buggy on the forehead.

"Oh, no!" I heard Nami-baka say behind me. "I got caught up watching the fight! I have to steal the treasure and make my escape!" _She _does_ realize I'm right next to her…yes?_ She looked at me, and her brow furrowed.

"Come and help." She ordered. I nodded, and followed along like a puppy. Luffy had gotten enough revenge for the two of us, and I had a feeling that he wouldn't end up like Hoshi-chan did…

I shook my head to throw that thought out of my head. Thinking about it would only make the flashback return. What mattered now was making sure that Luffy got this woman on his crew, like he wanted. I didn't approve, and still thought that she wasn't to be trusted, but I wasn't on Luffy's crew (yet), so I didn't really have a say in the matter.

"Now to pick the lock…" Nami-baka said, rifling around in her shirt before pulling out some bobby pins, and inserting them in the lock to a small-ish shack.

"…you _do_ know that I can look in there, right?" I asked, not really paying attention to her answer as I flew through the wall to look inside. I emerged a second later and grinned widely at her.

"Lottsa shinies!" I exclaimed, holding out a few gold coins for her to see. She giggled delightedly, and finished picking the lock to let herself inside.

"This is great!" She said happily. "Buggy sure has an eye for treasure!" She started to heap the glittering piles of gold, jewels, crowns, and anything else that looked remotely expensive into a sack. I hovered behind her, playing with a bundle of rope I had found. It looked sturdy, and as I tugged it, it _felt_ sturdy. I giggled and tied a slip knot loop in it, and started to play cowgirl.

"Yeehaw!" I cried as I jumped around in the air, twirling the lasso over my head. "I got you, ya varmint!" I shouted as the loop settled over Nami-baka's shoulders. She looked at the rope that was holding her captive.

"…" She stared at the rope.

"…" I waited for her reaction.

"…Aah! I've been caught by the Sheriff of Nottingham!" She cried in fake distress. I grinned, and laughed as evilly as I could muster.

"DERAHAHAHAHA! Now you will be sentenced to the ultimate punishment for your crimes of…of…" I thought for a moment, my face scrunching in concentration. "illicit trafficking of gnome homes!" Nami-baka giggled before crying in fake fright.

"N-no! It wasn't mee! What is the punishment?!" She begged with me, and I blanked for a moment while I gathered all of my knowledge of evil kidnappers. It wasn't much.

"Um…I will…tie you to a post in the water and wait until the water rises with the tide so you drown!" I shouted, feeling accomplished that I had remembered something that 'Captain Hook' had done.

"Noo! Not the water punishment!" Nami squealed. I laughed evilly for a few more minutes, and we continued with the charade until I got tired of it and let her go.

"Mercy is a good thing!" I declared. She laughed, and swung the full sack of treasure over her shoulder.

"Why are you, a child, on his crew?" She asked me. I stopped as we neared the door to the shack.

"Geez, I'm not on his crew! I'm haunting his ship. There's a difference!" It might've been my imagination, but she looked somewhat relieved.

"Oh, ok." She said. "So you're _not_ the third member he was talking about?" I shook my head.

"No, I am." My answer only served to make her even more confused. I decided to clarify what I had said before.

"I'm not on his crew _yet_." I said, not looking at her face as I floated next to her, hands linked behind my back. I still had the rope. "Once he gives me no room to argue with him, _then_ I'll join his crew." She looked at me oddly.

"So, you _want_ to join a pirate crew?" She asked.

"…I want to find someone." Was all I said before starting to sing again.

"_I will travel all across the land, searching far and wiiide._"

Nami opened the door, and walked out. I followed her, still singing.

"_For each pokemon to understand the power that's insiiiide,POKEMON!"_ I shouted as Buggys torsoe flew at us. I yelled, and streaked over to Luffy, who was by the lower half of Buggy.

"I'LL SQUASH YOU!" Buggy shouted as he flew at Nami-baka. I stopped by Luffy, and looked at Buggy's lower half, which was just standing there.

"…" Luffy caught where my eyes were, and grinned. _WHUMP_!

"RIEHIEHIEHIE!" I laughed as Luffy kicked Buggy's jewels. Buggy's torso fell to the ground and twitched, as did his bottom half.

"C-CURSE YOU…MUGIWARA!" Buggy shouted, his voice even more high pitched than before. "YOU FIGHT DIRTY!...ATTACKING MY LOWER HALF!"

"Don't forget," Luffy said, planting his hands on his hips and grinning. "our fight's not over." I saw Nami-baka let out a relieved sigh.

"Hey!" Luffy shouted, pointing to her. "Drop the loot and get outta here! He'll keep coming after you!" I nodded in agreement, and eyed the large sack that Nami-baka had over her shoulder. It didn't look like she could run away too fast with it weighing her down.

"Leave the treasure?!" She shouted back. "Not a chance! I'm not gonna leave my treasure behind!"

"_Your_ treasure?" I heard Buggy grunt.

"THAT'S RIGHT! _MY _TREASURE! I'M A MASTER THIEF, AND I JUST STOLE IT!" She clenched her fist at Buggy. "MINE MINE MINE!" I sweatdropped.

"I'm a child…" I said, "and even _I_ think that's childish." Luffy nodded in agreement.

"THAT'S _MY_ TREASURE, FOOL!" Buggy shouted back. "IT'S NOT YOURS UNTIL YOU GET AWAY WITH IT!"

"He has a point!" I called to her.

"Thank you." Buggy said.

"…I don't want your thanks."

"…"

"The bad guy wants to lecture the bad guy, eh?" Nami-baka broke in, grinning at Buggy. "I don't argue with low life pirates!"

"What?" Buggy was on his hands and knees. (though his knees were by Luffy and I, and his hands were by Nami…I didn't get how that worked..)

"I'd never stoop so low as to take lessons from you!" Nami-baka stuck her tongue out at Buggy.

"She also has a point." I said amiably. Buggy turned to glare at me, and then turned back to Nami-baka.

"Then suffer the consequences!" He shouted. "Bara bara no…FESTIVAL!" Suddenly, he exploded into chopped up parts that started flying around everywhere. I didn't flinch as many flew through me, only to fall to the ground, blue. I looked at the rope I still held in my hand, and then at the pieces of Buggy that were now littering the ground.

"_Clean up, clean up, everybody everywhere, clean up, clean up, everybody do your share._" I sang as I tied the pieces of Buggy together, and then looked over to where Luffy was pulling one of Buggy's feet out of its shoe. I set the bundle behind some wreckage, and joined Luffy.

"Tickle it." I said with a giggle, leaning on his back to look over his shoulder.

"Koochie koochie." Luffy chuckled as he tickled the bottom of Buggy's foot. Obnoxious laughter came from across the road.

"How do you like _this_?" Luffy asked, smashing Buggy's toes onto the road. I giggled, and kicked my feet in the air, enjoying the faces that Buggy was making.

"You're a tough old clown, aren't you?" Luffy asked, pinching the skin on Buggy's ankle, and pulling. I decided that I liked this reaction the best.

"ENOUGH ALREADY!" Buggy shouted, growing shark teeth. "CUT IT OUT!" I giggled from Luffy's shoulder, and then tickled the top of Buggy's foot. While Buggy was laughing, and seemingly distracted, Nami-baka decided to do something stupid.

"THE ONE WHO'S GOING TO CUT IT OUT…" She shouted, swinging the treasure sack at him. "IS YOU!"

***Mia etulo means my little one. A nickname of sorts. :P if this is wrong, blame google translate. **


	9. Chapter 9

**Ureshiitamago: Here's an answer to a Guest review that I seem to have overlooked somehow. (Sorry!)**

** AC: ;) You'll find out!**

**Aave: Now, I want to do the thankies!**

**We would like to thank L'ceil, PlutoAn, BlueFightingPanda, lazymusicfreak, Randomreader1320, wanderer097, crazyslots, .is. , xxcarolxx, Unslaadtoorjun, meteor13, and DarknessPwnsLight for following/favoriting this story!**

**A special thanks to Utterly Fabulous Z, scarlet rose white, and Guest (AC) who reviewed!**

**Ureshiitamago: Yes, we love you guys!**

**Aave: *waves* Enjoy!**

**Ureshiitamago: I don't own any of the songs!**

_"__ENOUGH ALREADY!" Buggy shouted, growing shark teeth. "CUT IT OUT!" I giggled from Luffy's shoulder, and then tickled the top of Buggy's foot. While Buggy was laughing, and seemingly distracted, Nami-baka decided to do something stupid._

_"__THE ONE WHO'S GOING TO CUT IT OUT…" She shouted, swinging the treasure sack at him. "IS YOU!"_

**Chapter 9: Ghosties Toesies**

"NAMI-BAKA! WATCH OUT!" I yelled, pointing at Buggy's hand placement. He was holding the bag of treasure and grinning widely. I saw her gasp as Buggy floated slightly above the treasure bag.

"Thank you for returning my treasure." Buggy said. I quickly imagined an oval shaped rock into existence. "Poof" "Pop" I looked at Luffy, who nodded, and started to run at Buggy. I threw the rock with all of my strength.

"IT'S MY TREASURE!" Buggy shouted before being clouted in the head with my rock. He paused, and looked in my direction in time to see Luffy running at him.

"Hey! You're supposed to be fighting me!" With that, Luffy drew back his leg and gave Buggy a thundering kick in the face. "REMEMBER?!" I cheered, and threw around some pom-poms.

"GO GO LUFFY! L-U-F-F-Y!" Buggy flew backwards, still holding onto the treasure bag, and landed on the ground a few feet away, the treasure scattering around him.

"…Gotcha." Luffy said with a grin. "That was for the Mayor." Luffy wiped some blood off of his cheek. "And for Aave." I flushed, and threw a pom-pom at him.

"I don't need help, ya stupid!" I shouted with a pout. He laughed as the pom-pom hit him.

"Thanks for saving me." Nami-baka said, staring up at Luffy with awe and disbelief in her eyes.

"No problem!" Luffy said as he picked up the (pink) pom-pom and threw it back to me. I caught it and made it disappear along with the other one. "pop" "poof"

"Hey! The treasure map!" Luffy exclaimed as he looked at the treasure scattered all across the ground where the tavern used to be. Nami-baka gasped as she too noticed this.

"My treasure's scattered all over the place!" She shouted. I took a minute or two to search the scattered remains of Nami-baka's raid on Buggy's treasure shack for the map of the Grand Line. At last, I picked up a crown to place on my head, and noticed a rolled up piece of paper underneath it. I tossed the crown to the side, and unrolled the paper. I was staring at something that looked like shapes.

"I think I found it!" I called to Luffy. "I think I found the map to Paradise!" Luffy rushed over to me, grabbed the map, and held it up triumphantly.

"At last! It's the map of the Grand Line!" I giggled, and flew around him happily.

"Yay! Yay! Yay! Yay!" I cheered, pumping my fists in the air.

"Hey…" a foreboding voice murmured behind us. Luffy and I looked over our shoulders to see Buggy floating in mid-air. "…not so fast, Mugiwara boy!"

"Hmph." Luffy hmphed. "You still alive?"

"Hmph." I hmphed, crossing my arms. "You still in this world?" Buggy glared at Luffy and I.

"I'LL KILL YOU TWO!" He shouted angrily. "COME TOGETHER! BARA BARA NO…" I turned invisible, grabbed the parts of Buggy that I had tied up, and deposited them in front of Nami-baka, who blinked at them before grabbing the free end of the rope, and stepping on the parts with her heel. I flew back to Luffy.

"EEEEEH?" Buggy shouted, staring at his miniature body.

"Is _this_ what you're looking for?" Nami asked, putting pressure on the parts that she was stepping on.

"AAGH!" Buggy screamed. "MY BODY!"

"Hahahahaha!" Luffy laughed, his hands shooting behind him. "Good one, Master thief!"

"Hey! I helped too!" I pouted. Luffy grinned at me.

"Good job, Aave! Leave the rest to me!" I nodded, and flew over to his hat, picked it up, and plopped it down on my own hat.

"Good-bye, Buggy!" Luffy said, grinning widely. "Gomu gomu no…"

"WAIT!" Buggy tried to plead, but it was too late.

"BAZOOKA!" Buggy flew away, and the sky twinkled where he disappeared.

"I win!" Luffy cried as Nami-baka and I finished gathering up the treasure that had fallen out of the bag. Nami-baka tied it up, and walked over to where Luffy was standing. I flew beside her, and held Luffy's hat on my head carefully, not wanting to widen the tears.

"Now you'll join my crew, right?" He asked Nami-baka, holding his hand out to me. I stared at the hand, wondering what he wanted.

"For the time being." Nami-baka responded. "Looks like I'll make a fortune if I stick with you guys." Luffy raised an eyebrow at me, and I raised one back. What did he want?

"You have to hand it to Buggy—" Nami-baka said, hugging the treasure bag. "He had an eye for treasure! This is first-class booty! It's easily worth ten million berris!" Luffy pointed at my head with a small frown, and my eyes lit up with understanding. Quickly and carefully, I took his hat off my head and placed it in his waiting hands. All through this, Nami-baka kept on talking.

"Hey, all this treasure weighs a ton!" She said, paying no attention to Luffy, who was staring at the three holes in his hat. "I divided it in half. You carry half, ok?" I glared at her as I hovered over Luffy worriedly.

"…That hat means a lot to you, huh?" She observed.

"Yeah." Luffy said, plopping the hat on his head with a blinding smile. "It's not so bad, I guess. I can still wear it." He said with slightly forced cheer. "It sure felt good to clobber ol' Buggy!" I flew around him to look him in the eyes.

"Want me to wake up Zoro, mia kapitano?" He quirked an eyebrow at me from under the brim of his hat, and grinned.

"Sure! And what does mia cappuccino mean?"

"Mia _ka-pi-ta-no_!" I corrected him as I flew over to Zoro. _It means my captain…_ I added in my head. _But you don't need to know that yet_.

"…" I drew in a big breath as I faced Zoro. "ZOOOOROOO!" I screamed. Zoro's eyes shot open, and he sprang up from where he had been leaning against the wall, only to face-plant again. "Are you awake now?" I finished, kicking my legs in mid-air, and wearing a slightly psychotic grin on my face.

"&amp;*^%!" He shouted at the ground. I giggled, and tickled his side. (Not the side where he had stabbed himself.) Zoro lifted up his head, and looked at Luffy, who was doubled over with laughter.

"Did you take care of things?" He asked. I pouted. He was impervious to tickles on the side. I would have to try the bottoms of his feet as soon as I was able. (And as soon as I caught him with his shoes off. Muhahahaha)

"Yeah, and I got the map and the treasure!" Luffy said.

"And a navigator/thief!" I added.

"Agh, it's no good…" Zoro said after an attempt to sit up. "I don't think I can _sit_ up, let alone stand. Thanks for that, ghost girl." I slapped the top of his head repeatedly.

"Shut up, son of the leprechaun king!"

"Of course you can't sit up." Nami-baka said. We all looked at her. "If you could, I wouldn't believe that either of you were human!"

"Don't lump me in with him." Luffy said.

"Either of you means two. You didn't count Zoro." I said.

"YOU'RE A GHOST!" Nami-baka shouted at me. "NOT HUMAN! AND YOU!" She turned her anger to Luffy. "YOU'RE EVEN LESS HUMAN THAN HE IS!" She pointed at Zoro to try and prove her point.

"Luffy, am I human?" I asked him. Luffy nodded.

"You are. We should wake up the Mayor." He said. I grinned hugely, and flew over to the Mayor to wake him up, but halfway there, I was stopped by a voice.

"Hey, you guys." I looked over my shoulder to see a bunch of people wielding cooking knives, pitchforks, baseball bats, and guns. "We're citizens of this town. Did the pirates mutiny or something? Come on, talk!" I flew back over to Luffy, and collapsed onto his back. He automatically grabbed my legs to hold me on, and I leaned against his shoulder to stare at the townsfolk.

"The townspeople?" Nami-baka said with a relieved laugh. "That's a relief! I thought you'd be more pirates!" She held up a forefinger, and nodded. "We'll tell you what happened, but it's a long story…" She was cut off as one of them noticed Mayor Boodle still lying unconscious on the ground.

"HEY! IT'S THE MAYOR!"

"MAYOR! ARE YOU HURT?"

"What happened here?"

"IT WAS THOSE LOUSY PIRATES!"

"No it wasn't." Luffy and I said. "I/he knocked the old man out." I pointed to Luffy's cheek for emphasis, and kicked my legs idly. The glares the villagers sent us were almost as deadly as the most poisonous poison in the world.

"Luffy! Aave! They didn't have to know that!"

"Well, you and Aave saw me, right?"

"Yup!" I piped up.

"True! But I wasn't going to tell them!" Nami-baka shouted at us. I stuck my tongue out at her, and plugged my ears to shut her out. I watched the angry villagers mouths move, and unplugged my ears in time to hear their last question.

"WHO ARE YOU? PIRATES?" I giggled at that, and tugged Luffy's hair.

"We're pirates." Luffy responded. I laughed heartily along with Zoro.

"YOU IDIOT!" Nami-baka screamed at Luffy.

"We _are_ pirates!" Luffy protested. I flew off of Luffy's back, and quickly, Luffy swept up Zoro and the treasure bag.

"RUN!" He shouted, and Nami-baka complied with a yelp.

"DON'T LET 'EM GO!"

"THEY'LL PAY FOR ATTACKING THE MAYOR!"

"Why do you always have to complicate things?" Nami-baka asked Luffy as they ran. I giggled uncontrollably at the situation.

"These are good people!" Luffy said. I nodded in agreement.

"Great people!" I said, spreading out my hands and popping Bearetta into existence. "Awesome people!"

"They're all worked up because they love their Mayor!" Luffy started to laugh with me. "It wouldn't matter what we told them!"

"Turn here hobbitsis!" I shouted, making a quick turn in the air to fly down an alleyway. They turned with me, and I laughed as I flew over Chouchou.

"Hey Chouchou!" I said. Chouchou responded with a light hearted bark. Nami-baka and Luffy jumped over her, and continued running. Finally, after the voices behind us had faded to nothing, we slowed down to a walk. (And a float.) I floated beside Luffy and Zoro as we walked (floated) towards the docks.

"Phew!" Nami-baka said, grinning at Luffy. "That was too close! Chouchou really saved our necks! Why are we in this mess anyway?" I flew over to our small boat, and started to untie the ropes holding it to the dock.

"_Kookaburra sits in an old plum tree…_" I sang as I worked, keeping one ear on the conversation that the two of them were having.

"It's ok. We did what we needed to, right?" Luffy said.

"_Merry merry king of the bush is he…_"

"I guess so…" Nami-baka said uncertainly.

"Hey, is that your ship?" Luffy asked Nami-baka. I looked to the side, where I saw a boat that looked like a tinier version of the circus ship I had seen while I was being dragged across the sky.

"_Laugh, Kookaburra laugh, Kookaburra gay your life must be._" I finished the song for a bit.

"I've seen better." Nami=baka was saying. "I stole it from some stupid pirates." I noticed some commotion on the boat next to ours.

"WE'VE BEEN WAITING FOR YOU, GIRL!" Someone shouted. Three clowns jumped off of the ship onto the shore, and walked over to where Luffy, Nami-baka, and Zoro were. I glanced at Bearetta, who was sitting innocently on the figurehead of our boat. "pop" I picked her up, and aimed.

"We knew you'd come back to the ship!" Larry said.

"Har har har har. Imagine our surprise, finding our stolen ship docked here." Curly added, giving Nami-baka a thumbs down. _Almost…_I thought, lining up Bearetta with Moe's head.

"You haven't forgotten about us, have you?" Moe said, right before Bearetta hit him on the head.

"OOOUUUCH!" Moe yelled, falling to the ground and holding his head. Curly and Larry looked at him, then Bearetta behind him, and then me.

"Did you do this?" Larry demanded. I stuck my tongue out at him, and blew a raspberry. *ppphhhhthhh* Curly held Larry back when he lunged for me.

"A kid isn't worth it!" Curly exclaimed. I floated off of the boat, and a little ways away from the other ship, and then insulted Curly.

"Your mother was a hamster, and your father smelt of elderberries!" I shouted. "You foul loathsome evil little cockroach!" That did it. They yelled, and ran at me, and then through me. I flew back over to Luffy and the others as Curly and Larry shivered on the ground.

"Are we leaving?" I asked them pleasantly. Luffy grinned at me.

"Yep! Let's go!" He said. Both him and Zoro stepped onto our boat, while Nami-baka threw her treasure onto her boat, and then walked over to the two shivering men on the ground. I didn't hear what she said to them, but the two of them paled even further (If that was possible), picked up their friend, jumped into the ocean, and swam away as fast as they could.

"What did you say?" Luffy asked her as he dropped Zoro into the ship and untied the rope anchoring us to the docks. Nami-baka grinned.

"I described to them in great detail what might happen if the angry villagers found them." She laughed. I flipped in the air a few times, and then returned to my spot on the mast as we cast off. We didn't get far before we heard the Mayor's voice.

"HEY KIDS, WAIT!" We all looked to shore to see the Mayor running at the dock full tilt. He no longer had his armor on, and instead was wearing a plaid shirt and shorts. "I HAVE SOMETHING TO SAY TO YOU!" He sounded a little angry.

"..." we waited as he caught his breath. When he finally looked up at us, I wasn't surprised to see tears streaming down his face.

"THANK YOU!" He shouted with a sob. "I WON'T FORGET IT!" I traded a look with Luffy, and we grinned at each other.

"YOU'RE WELCOME, MAYOR!" Luffy shouted.

"TAKE IT EASY!" I yelled. "GHOST'S ORDERS!" There was some laughter from across the water at that.

"_Everybody needs someone to show them what is possible…"_ I sang quietly, watching the land grow farther and farther away.

"_Everybody needs someone to go as far as she can see…_" I looked down at our boat and Nami-baka's boat.

"_I need to stand up on the shoulders of giants…_" I giggled and combed Margareta's hair as Nami tried to drown Luffy for leaving half of the treasure she stole at the island.

"_I need a woman who's as big as me._" Hoshi-chan had taught me that song. She was one of the first female pirate captains in history, and was a great friend of mine after Roger had left. She said that she had been taught it by a mad man in a box. I still didn't know what she meant by that, but it sounded adventuristic.

"THAT WAS _MY_ TREASURE, AND YOU GAVE IT AWAY!" Nami-baka screamed, snapping me out of my memory. I stuck my tongue out at her, and finished combing Margareta's hair.

"TAKE IT EASY!" Luffy begged her. "IF YOU REALLY WANT IT, LET'S GO BACK AND GET IT!" Nami-baka was trying to shove him into the water.

"IT'S TOO LATE!" She shouted. "IF YOU EVER DO ANYTHING LIKE THAT AGAIN, I'LL KILL YOU!"

"You're trying to kill him now though." I observed from just behind her right shoulder. She screamed, and sat down. I turned to Zoro.

"When are you going to notice?" I asked, giggling, and making Bearetta giggle as well. Zoro quirked an eyebrow at me.

"Notice what?" He asked. I just giggled, and adjusted Bearetta's hat. Nami-baka looked at him, and then did a double take, and started to laugh. Luffy peered at Zoro, and then laughed so hard he was rolling around on the bottom of the boat.

"WHAT?" Zoro shouted angrily.

"L-look in the wa-wa-water!" Gasped Nami-baka. Zoro looked, and then stood up fast with his katanas unsheathed.

"I'M GONNA KILL YOU, AAVE!" He shouted, his eyes narrowing into slits, and his teeth turning into shark teeth. I squealed in fright, turned invisible, and then hid behind Nami-baka.

"Don't kill me!" I shouted. There was a pause, and then both Nami-baka and Zoro shouted at once.

"You're already _dead_!" Nami-baka shouted, trying to see where I was.

"I CAN'T KILL YOU IF YOU'RE DEAD!" Zoro shouted, trying to see where I was so he could attempt to kill me for a second time.

"Whatever." I said, turning visible and sticking my tongue out at him. I floated over to Luffy, who handed his mauled hat to Nami-baka. She whipped out a needle and thread and started working while Luffy and I played acchi muite hoi*

"Rock, paper, scissors!" I hung my head as I lost. Luffy grinned, and held his forefinger in front of my face.

"Acchi muite…" We had a small stare down, "hoi!" I looked up as his finger pointed to my left. I cheered, and did a little dance. We repeated this action several hundred times before Zoro yelled at us to shut up and do something else. We called him a spoil sport and played patty-cake instead. That game was ruined when Nami-baka held up Luffy's hat and declared it fixed. Luffy and I cheered, and rushed over to the hat.

"YOU FIXED IT!" Luffy yelled, standing on the figurehead and punching the air with one fist.

"YOU'RE NOT AS STUPID AS YOU SEEM, NAMI-BAKA!" I shouted, throwing daisies and roses into the air around her. She glared at me.

"WAS THAT AN INSULT, SQUIRT?!" I nodded, and she sighed, turning to Luffy.

"It's a temporary fix." She said. "I just sewed up the holes. It'll be fine if you aren't too rough with it."

"Wow, it looks good as new." I said, admiring her job.

"Thanks!" Luffy said to her while poking the top of the hat. "That hat was so full of holes, and now you can't even tell!"

"Luffy, maybe you should stop poking it…" I said, trying to be the voice of reason. He wasn't listening though.

"It's all-" He broke off and stared bug eyed at the hole he had just made in his hat.

"YOU DON'T LISTEN!" Nami-baka yelled, jabbing Luffy between the eyes with her needle.

"YEEEOOOW!" Luffy cried. "YOU JABBED ME WITH THE NEEDLE!"

"THAT'S THE ONLY WAY I CAN HURT YOU!" Nami-baka yelled back.

"Hmmm...you're right." Luffy agreed.

"I'm being ignored...am I still invisible?" I wondered.

"Naw, I can see you." Luffy said.

"Really?" I asked.

"Yup."

"Huh."

"Cut the racket." Zoro complained. "I can't sleep. And I'm starving." He turned to look at Nami-baka, who was back in her own boat again.

"Hey, share some of your rations with us."

"_Food food food food, food food food food, ate last niiiight, at the night befoooore, gonna eat tonight like I never ate befooore, cause when I eat I'm as happy as can beeeeeeeee. 'Cause I'm a member of the E-A-T!"_ I sang.

"You can't eat." Nami-baka reminded me. I stuck my tongue out at her.

"Anyway," she went on, "what's wrong with you guys?" She asked Zoro and Luffy. "Don't you know anything about seamanship? You don't even have any food or water! You have to respect the sea!"

"Hey! I see something!" Luffy said, completely ignoring her. I joined him, because what he was doing seemed more fun.

"Ooh, I see it too!"

"Do you know what it is?"

"An island...maybe?" I peered closer at the dot. "Yeah, an Island. Probably full of mutant creatures and Gods galore!" I brandished an imaginary sword at an imaginary foe.

"Aave and I found an island!" Luffy called to Nami-baka and Zoro.

"Forget it." Nami-baka said after looking at it through binoculars for a moment. "It looks…" the rest of what she said sailed away in the wind as Luffy steered our boat in the direction of the island.

"COME BACK!" I heard Nami-baka scream.

"_We're going on an adventuuure, I wonder what's in store!_" I sang happily. "_We're packing up our bags, and we're heading out the door!_"

"Maybe there's someone there who will join my crew!" Luffy said excitedly.

"Maybe you can find some food. But Nami's right. We're not prepared." Zoro added.

***Acchi muite hoi is a japanese game, where when one person wins in a rock paper scissors game, they get to try and fake someone into looking in the same direction their finger is pointing. (If you didn't understand that terrible explanation, look it up. :))**

**Sorry if this is a bit short, but I plan on having one chapter for Trial of the Forest, and I'll probably get it up by tomorrow. **


	10. Chapter 10

**ureshiitamago: Hey, ya'll! This one is going to be relatively short as well (Short meaning around 3000 or so words), mainly 'cause it's a filler, and I'm trying out a new laptop.**

**Aave: What's a laptop?**

**ureshiitamago: Nothing you need to concern yourself with yet.**

**Aave: Oh, ok. Here are the thankies!**

**We would like to thank; Mr. 0-San and balrock for following and favoriting!**

**A special thanks to Mr. 0-San, Guest(AC), and The Utterly Fabulous Z for reviewing!**

**ureshiitamago: AC: Thanks ;) and you're welcome!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own One Piece!**

_"_We're going on an adventuuure, I wonder what's in store!_" I sang happily. "_We're packing up our bags, and we're heading out the door!_"_

_"__Maybe there's someone there who will join my crew!" Luffy said excitedly._

_"__Maybe you can find some food. But Nami's right. We're not prepared." Zoro added._

**Chapter 10: Woo hoo! Bushy haired Ghosties!**

"We've found a deserted island!" Luffy shouted happily from his perch on the figurehead. "Looks like there's nothing here but trees!"

"I wonder if there's dessert here…" I said thoughtfully. "Pecan pie with vanilla ice cream would be nice…"

"That's not what 'deserted' means…" Nami-baka said with a sweatdrop. "And anyway," she turned to Luffy, "I told you it was uninhabited. You won't find anyone to join your crew here."

"Zoro!" Luffy called back to our boat. "Get over here!" He turned back to Nami-baka for a moment. "Aave's island looked uninhabited except for the pirates, and _she_ joined my crew!"

"I'm haunting your boat." I said in a monotone. "There's a difference." Luffy shrugged, and turned back to the boat to see Zoro still sleeping.

"He's asleep." Luffy said, and then started to walk over to the boat, presumably to wake Zoro up. Nami-baka grabbed the collar of Luffy's shirt, and said;

"Let him rest. He's still recovering from his injuries." Luffy did a quick 180.

"Good thinking." He said, walking off to the forest. "Okay, let's go!"

"Aye aye mia kapitano!" I flew after him, and dove for his hat. He ducked, and leaned on a tree.

"Go where?" Nami-baka asked, watching our antics with a raised eyebrow.

"Maybe there are people living deep in this forest!" Luffy said, ducking another of my attempts, and sticking his tongue out at me.

"People, no." Nami-baka said irritably. "Hungry monsters, maybe."

"Hey, remember what I said about mutants and gods?'" I asked Luffy.

"Yeah." He said. I tugged on his arm, and pointed to our right. Some kind of a cross between a rooster and a fox ambled out of the tree line.

"You're psychic." Luffy said.

"I'm not psychic" I denied.

"What _is_ that?" Nami-baka wondered.

"It's a rooster-fox." I said, as if the answer was obvious.

"Hey look!" Luffy held up what looked like a cross between a rabbit and a snake. "It's some kind of weird rabbit!" I giggled and played with the rabbit ears.

"Yeah, weird is right!" Nami-baka said, holding her head as if trying to wake herself up from a very bad dream.

"Hey!" I said, pointing to the side. "A lion-pig!" I pointed up to a tree. "And a monkey-bat! I'm going to name that one Momo!"

"It looks more like a pig than a lion…" Nami-baka commented. "And that looks more like a monkey than a bat. Why Momo?" I shrugged at her question.

"It just fits. Here, Momo!" I held out an arm. "pop" The newly named Momo jumped onto my arm and handed Luffy a peach.

"It definitely fits!" Luffy said with a laugh.

"There's something odd about this forest…" Nami-baka said. I looked at her with overly wide eyes.

"Really? For true?" I asked eagerly. "More odd than a rubber man and a ghost?" That gave her pause. She opened her mouth to respond, but was cut off by a mysterious voice. I loved mysterious voices! They were so…mysterious.

"Do not come any further!" The voice said. Momo jumped off of my arm and back into the trees and disappeared.

"WHO SAID THAT?!" Nami-baka shouted. "WHO ARE YOU?!"

"I…" There was a dramatic pause, "am the guardian of the forest!"

"Like a God?" Luffy asked the voice.

"Um…yes." The voice answered. Nami-baka and Luffy both looked at me.

"I'm not psychic!" I said to them, crossing my arms and pouting. "You were saying?" I prompted the guardian of the forest.

"Ah, yes." The guardian of the forest started to shout. "If you value your lives, you will leave this place now!"

"…" we didn't say anything.

"Are you pirates?" The voice asked us uncertainly.

"That's right." Luffy confirmed.

"Yup." I said, kicking my feet in the air.

"Why would he ask us that?" Nami-baka wondered out loud.

"Maybe he's stupid." I suggested.

"Ah, so you _are_ pirates!" The voice exclaimed. "Don't you dare take another step into this forest! If you do, you must face the trial of the forest! Will you risk having your bodies dismembered."

"Like this?" I asked, taking my head off of my shoulders and juggling it. Luffy laughed, and Nami-baka screamed.

"AAAAAH!" The voice screamed, "SHE'S NOT HUMAN!"

"_Nooo_, I'm a half-pint bean-sprout midget." I said, rolling my eyes in the most sarcastic manner I could.

"Who cares about the trial of the forest?" Luffy asked the voice. "Why would you ask me that?"

"What is he talking about?" Nami-baka asked.

"I think something's wrong with him." Luffy commented, looking around for the source of the voice.

"Maybe he's stupid." I suggested again, doing cartwheels in the air, and grabbing for Luffy's hat every chance I could.

"What did you say, Mugiwara fool and ghost girl?" The voice asked ominously.

"Where are you?" Nami-baka asked, punching the air and looking around. "Show yourself!" Luffy started to walk to a section of forest.

"I think he's over there…" He said.

"I warned you not to come any closer!" The voice said. I heard the clacking of a gun behind Luffy and I. "Now you must face the trial of the forest!" I squeaked as I felt a bullet fly through me, and then gasped involuntarily as I saw it enter Luffy's back. Luffy grunted, and I caught his hat as it flew off his head. I grumbled as the bullet flew through me again after Luffy deflected it.

"…HUH?!" the voice shouted.

"Th-that really scared me!" Nami-baka said. "Was that a gun?" I handed Luffy his hat back, and he placed it back on his head.

"Wow!" Nami-baka said. "Even bullets can't hurt you!"

"No," Luffy admitted, "but they scare me, too, so I don't like being shot."

"I don't either." I said. "It feels like a weird ripple in water, but in my body." Nami-baka wrinkled her nose.

"That doesn't sound too pleasant." She agreed.

"What…what _are_ you two?" The voice demanded shakily.

"What are _you_?" retorted Luffy. He walked across the clearing we were in and looked through the trees. "The bullet came from here." He said. I looked over his head, and saw a smoking gun lying in front of a suspicious looking bush in a box.

"Look!" Nami-baka said, pointing out the gun. "There's a pistol on the ground!"

"What's this?" Luffy asked, walking up to the bush in a box.

"Looks suspicious." Nami-baka said, also walking up to the bush in a box.

"Hello." I greeted the bush in a box. "Do you know where our god went?"

"HEY! IT'S MOVING!" Nami-baka shouted. Indeed, the bush in a box had sprouted legs and was running in the direction opposite of us. I flew after it, and stuck a foot out in front of its feet. _Whump_. The bush in a box bush-planted on the ground.

"HEY! HELP ME UP!" The bush shouted into the ground. Nami-baka looked at the feet.

"It's a person." She said with a sweatdrop.

"HELP ME UP, I SAID" The bush turned person demanded.

"He tripped himself, and now he's acting indignant…" Nami-baka observed.

"_I_ was the one who tripped him!" I said proudly.

"Don't be so proud about that…" Nami-baka said.

"He looks like a shrub!" Luffy said with a laugh.

"Let's _not_ help him up." I said. When Luffy and Nami-baka looked at me, I decided to explain what I meant. "First, we must find another shrubbery. Then, when we have found the shrubbery, we must place it here, beside _this_ shrubbery," (Here, the guardian of the forest protested) "only slightly higher so you get a two layer effect with a little path running down the middle." I looked at their faces to make sure that they were following what I was saying. "Then, we must cut down the mightiest tree in the forest, with…a herring!"* I finished gleefully. Luffy shook his head.

"Too much work. We'll just help him up." He said. I pouted.

(lol, line break 'cause I'm lazy)

"The fruit of the Gomu gomu tree, a Devil's Fruit,eh?" Shrubbery-man said. "I've heard the tales. But this is the first time I've ever met someone who's eaten the fruit." I stared at his unibrow in amazement.

"It's all connected!" I said.

"This is the first time I've ever seen a guy stuck in a treasure chest." Luffy said, sitting opposite the shrubbery-man. "Are you a 'boxer'?"

"Unibrow…"

"Well, when I was younger…HEY, THAT WAS A STUPID PUN!" The shrubbery-man shouted.

"I'M STUCK AND I CAN'T GET OUT!" He shouted. "I'VE BEEN ALONE ON THIS ISLAND FOR 20 YEARS! YOU CAN'T IMAGINE HOW MISERABLE I'VE BEEN!"

"Unibrow…"

"20 years?" Nami-baka gasped. "You've been all alone for 20 years?"

"That's right…20 years." The shrub agreed.

"You must be stupid." Luffy said bluntly.

"I'LL MURDER YA!" The shrub screamed at him.

"Unibrow…"

"20 years…" Shrub said with a sigh. "It's been a long time…That's why my hair and beard are this long." He glared at me. "And I used to have _two_ eyebrows!" He growled.

"Highly unlikely." I muttered, still staring at the unibrow.

"I haven't had a conversation with another person in all that time." I frowned, somewhat feeling for him. I had been like that too, except for on a larger scale. I was snapped out of my reverie when the shrub gave a great shout of pain.

"OW! OUCH! WHAT'RE YOU DOING?!" I giggled at Luffy, who was attempting to pull shrub out of his box.

"You're stuck." Luffy remarked, gritting his teeth and pulling harder.

"CUT IT OUT!" Shrub shouted. "YOU'LL BREAK MY NECK!" At that threat, Luffy stopped trying to detach shrub's head from his body.

"DON'T BE RECKLESS!" The shrub scolded him. "I HAVEN'T HAD ANY EXERCISE FOR ALL THESE YEARS…BY NOW, MY BODY'S GROWN INTO THE SHAPE OF THIS BOX!" He took in a deep breath, and calmed down considerably now that Luffy wasn't trying to decapitate him. "I can't get out, and if you break the chest, you'll break me with it."

"But," Nami-baka said, drawing his attention to her. "how did you get there in the first place?" I wrinkled my nose, sensing an impending rant about someone's past, and started to play cat's cradle with Fairy Queen.

"You said you were pirates?" Shrub asked Luffy.

"That's right!" Luffy confirmed. "So far I only have a crew of four."

"I'm haunting your ship, there's a difference." I corrected automatically.

"Well, I used to be a pirate too." Shrub said.

"Really?" Luffy asked, stuffing his hands into his pockets.

"It was great! Risking my life in pursuit of treasure!" Shrub said enthusiastically.

"It's fun, huh?" Luffy said.

"_Fun fun fun fun, the most wonderful thing about Tiggers is that I'm the only one!_" I sang as I tried to figure out how to handle a new string hold in the game that Fairy Queen and I were playing.

"What's wrong with her?" Shrub asked Nami-baka, looking at me with trepidation.

"Nothing, ignore her." Nami-baka said.

"You got a treasure map?" Shrub asked Luffy.

"I've got a map of the Grand Line." Luffy said. "I'm going after the One Piece!" Shrub started to sweat.

"WHAT? THE ONE PIECE?!" Shrub yelled. "YOU'RE NOT SERIOUSLY THINKING ABOUT ENTERING THE GRAND LINE!?"

"So…" Shrub went on, looking at the map that Luffy was holding out. "Where is this Grand Line?"

"I don't know." Luffy said. "Can you tell me where it is, Mr. Shrub?" Shrub broke out laughing.

"I can't read maps!" He said.

"You can't?" Luffy laughed.

"How can they call themselves pirates?" Nami-baka said from next to me.

"I can't read maps either!" I chirped, finally figuring out the string hold.

"Ok, look." Nami-baka held out a map. I made a face. She was going to _teach_ something. Yuck. I tuned her out until they got to a more interesting topic, choosing instead to stare at a pair of yellow eyes that were peering at me from the treetops. It didn't look like Momo. Finally, after much persuading from Fairy Queen and me, it emerged from the tree. It looked to be a cross between a shiba inu and a humming bird. It was about the size of my hand, and its wings were a beautiful turquoise.

"I dub thee, Gwaine!" I said. I looked over to the others, who seemed to be having a serious conversation about the dangers of Grand Line.

"C'mon Gwaine." I said, floating over to where the others were. "Let's show you to Luffy." Gwaine let out a sound like a cross between a bark and a buzz, and followed me through the air.

"…understand?" Shrub was saying to Luffy. "The search for the One Piece is a fools dream."

"Maybe so," Luffy said with a laugh, "but I think we'll find it!"

"Give up!" Nami-baka said with a smile. "There's plenty of other treasure to be had. Why get ourselves killed?"

"We'll find it!" Luffy said, his grin widening. "I'm very lucky!"

"I think you will too." I said, floating down to sit in Luffy's lap. He petted my head, and I started purring. Nami-baka sat down next to us.

"Fine…" she relented, "but I don't know where your confidence comes from."

"I'LL TELL YOU WHY I HAVEN'T LEFT THIS ISLAND!" Shrub suddenly yelled, causing me and Gwaine to yelp. Luffy grabbed me, and stood up, still holding me.

"What, Mr. Shrub man?" Luffy asked.

"Hope." Shrub said, staring off into the distance. "I still have hope."

"About what?" Luffy asked. I groaned as Shrub started his backstory. I really hated those. I exchanged a bored glance with Gwaine, who was fluttering by my head. He licked my nose, and I started to play with him. I would throw a tiny stick, and he would fetch it and bring it back.

Apparently, Shrub had been trying to find treasure on this island, but once he thought he had it, he fell into a chest, and got stuck, and then his nakama left him behind. Such nice nakama…

"And nobody's been here for 20 years?" Luffy asked, tickling my sides to make me pay attention. Shrub ignored my giggling, and hefted his pistol.

"No, lots of people come. Mostly pirates, looking for treasure, but I scared them all off with my trial of the forest bit." Shrub said. I fiddled with the brim of my hat as I listened.

"All that treasure I saw up on the cliff…I just couldn't bring myself to part with it!" Shrub let out a sob. "IF ONLY I WEREN'T STUCK IN THIS CHEST!" He shouted angrily. "ALL THIS TIME, I'VE PROTECTED THAT TREASURE! IT'S MINE! ALL MINE!"

"You're absolutely right." Luffy agreed. I craned my neck around to see him nodding. "It's rightfully yours."

"GAIMON!" Nami-baka shouted. I assumed that that was Shrub's name. "I'LL GO UP THERE AND GET THAT TREASURE FOR YOU!"

"Really?" Gaimon-not-Shrub said. "That would be great! I'm glad I told you my story."

"But you're a pirate and a thief." Luffy pointed out.

"And a baka." I added.

"SHUT UP!" Nami-baka shouted. "I'M A THIEF, BUT I'M NOT HEARTLESS! AND I'M NOT A BAKA!"

**(line break because I have writers block for this chapter!)**

"Wow. Tall rock." I said, floating above their heads.

"Here we are." Gaimon said. "This is it! It's been a while since I came here."

"Why didn't you tell anyone else your story?" Luffy asked Gaimon. "Like you told us."

"I never trusted anybody." Gaimon explained. "Besides, none of the others ever tried to talk to me."

"FINALLY!" Gaimon suddenly shouted. "TODAY IS THE DAY!"

"Luffy, Aave." Nami-baka said, clapping a hand onto Luffy's shoulder. "Do your stuff."

"You want _us_ to do it?" Luffy and I asked her.

"Well, I can't climb _that_!" Nami-baka said, pointing at the sheer cliff in front of us.

"I'm counting on you two!" Gaimon said. I sighed, and flew upwards with Gwaine. We set down up top and waited for Luffy, who catapulted into us. We laughed for a minute about that, and then looked in the treasure chests…nothing. Not even a gold coin. Luffy and I looked at each other and frowned. Luffy picked up a chest, and walked over to the edge.

"I see them!" He called down. "Five treasure chests!" I put one of the empty chests upside down on my head and pretended to be the dreaded treasure eating monster.

"…EM DOWN HERE…ON'T DROP THEM ON US!" Gaimon's voice was patchy from inside the treasure chest.

"Forget it!" I heard Luffy say. I took the chest off my head, not in the mood to play.

"LUFFY, ARE YOU INSANE?" Nami-baka shouted. "AAVE, _YOU_ THROW THEM DOWN HERE!" I floated over and peeked over the edge.

"I don't feel like it." I said, dangling Bearetta over the edge.

"ARE YOU _BOTH_ INSANE? THROW THEM DOWN!" Nami-baka ordered.

"Forget it!" Luffy said. "I don't want to."

"Me either!" I said.

"DARN IT, YOU TWO!"

"It's ok. They don't want to do it." Gaimon said.

"HOW CAN YOU SAY THAT?" Nami-baka yelled at him. "IT'S _YOUR_ TREASURE!"

"Mugiwara! Ghost girl!" Gaimon shouted up to us. Bearetta went back into my hat. "You.." He was crying… "you're great kids!"

"WHAT?!" Nami-baka shouted disbelievingly.

*sniff sniff* "I-I suspected that might be the case…I had my fears…" Luffy sat down, and I lay my head down on the rock. "But…I just didn't want to believe it…" He held his head in his hands.

"They're empty…aren't they?" Bingo.

"Yup." Luffy said. "They're all empty." Gaimon mumbled something into his hands that I couldn't hear.

"But you've been guarding them for 20 years!" Nami-baka said. "…and they're empty…"

"This is too depressing…" I muttered to myself.

"I agree." I heard Luffy whisper.

"HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" Luffy suddenly laughed. "Don't feel bad, Mr. Shrub head! You're lucky we showed up! Another 30 years and your life would've passed you by!" I smiled as the mood surrounding the conversation became lighter.

"Kid…"

"Luffy…"

"Well, only one thing will make up for a disappointment like this!" Luffy exclaimed. "You're going after the One Piece with me!"

"You want…" Gaimon looked speechless. "You want me to join your crew?"

"Banzai!" I shouted, throwing rose petals in the air.

**(line break!)**

"Are you sure?" Nami-baka asked Gaimon. "You really want to stay on this island?"

"Yes…" Gaimon said. "Nice of you to ask me to join you, but this is my home. There's no treasure, but I can still be the guardian of the forest!"

"Why?" Nami-baka asked.

"Did you see all the unusual animals that live in the forest?" Gaimon asked her.

"All those weird snake-rabbits and lion-pigs?" She said.

"Like Gwaine?" I asked, pointing to said shibainu-hummingbird. Gaimon nodded.

"More people come to this island looking for exotic animals than for treasure. I've grown fond of those critters after all these years." Gaimon explained. "I don't want to abandon them."

"You're sort of an exotic animal yourself!" Luffy pointed out.

"WATCH IT, BUSTER!"

"But he's right." I said. Gwaine barked in agreement.

"HEY!"

"In a way," he went on in a calmer tone, "I'm relieved that there's no treasure! I can finally stop fretting about it and enjoy this island!"

"Too bad you won't be coming with us." Luffy said. "I kinda like you."

"Can Gwaine come with me?" I asked Gaimon. Gaimon nodded.

"If Gwaine wants to, sure." I looked at Gwaine, who wagged his tail, and flew over to the boat.

"You'll get yourself a great crew!" Gaimon said to Luffy. "Now, go find the One Piece, and make the world your oyster!"

"Thanks!" Luffy said. "I will, see ya!"

With that, we cast off.

***I do not own Monty Python**

**I am glad that's over with. I don't know why, but writing this chapter was kinda boring. So, forgive me if it's boring. **


	11. Chapter 11

**ureshiitamago: Well, I worked on this during the week (even though I was busy as heck), and as much as I could over the weekend, so I hope you like! :)**

**Aave: As long as Bearetta is in it!**

**Ureshiitamago: Yes, Bearetta is in it.**

**Aave: Yaaay! Now for thankies!**

**We would like to thank Patchwork Knightess, Gameprince33, nami98, Elise477, serenity-neko-chan, and Joldino-Sidestreaker for following/favoriting this fanfic!**

**Ureshiitamago: Good job! **

**Aave: Thanks!**

**Ureshiitamago: Disclaimer; I don't own One Piece, or any references or songs. **

_ "__Can Gwaine come with me?" I asked Gaimon. Gaimon nodded._

_ "__If Gwaine wants to, sure." I looked at Gwaine, who wagged his tail, and flew over to the boat._

_ "__You'll get yourself a great crew!" Gaimon said to Luffy. "Now, go find the One Piece, and make the world your oyster!" _

_ "__Thanks!" Luffy said. "I will, see ya!" _

_With that, we cast off. _

**Chapter 11: A Bored Ghost is Not a Good Ghost…**

"Boooored! Boooored! Zooorooo! Play with me!" I whined, clutching onto Gwaine and Bearetta, shoving them into Zoro's sleeping face.

"Zzzzzzzzz…" I scowled, irritated that he was _still_ sleeping (an extremely boring past-time) when he could be having the time of his life playing dress up with me. Well, he wouldn't be sleeping for much longer…

"AAAAAAAAAAAH!" Zoro shouted, waking up immediately and dancing around the small boat like he had a fish in his pants. (Which, he did… :P) Nami-baka and I giggled at the sight of the normally stoic swordsman jumping around with a mixture of panic, disgust, and anger on his face. Finally, after a few minutes of Nami-baka and mine's giggles turning into full blown laughter (with Gwaine and Bearetta laughing as well), Zoro finally fished the fish out of his pants, and stood there with it in his hands, panting angrily at us. Nami-baka recovered from her laughing fit first, and pretended like she didn't see anything. I wasn't inclined to salvage the swordsman's pride though, so I carried on laughing.

"If you want to play with someone, where's Luffy?" Zoro demanded me, waving the poor fish in my face.

"He's taking a nap, and I didn't want to disturb him!" I said in between my guffaws. One of his eyebrows twitched.

"…So…you decided to wake me up…from _my_ nap?" He asked me slowly, as if talking to a child. Oh wait, I _was_ a child! I nodded enthusiastically, and floated back up above the boat.

"Yup!" I watched in amusement as a tic mark grew on his forehead, a result from having to look up in order to look me in the face.

"And you couldn't ask Nami to play with you?" He asked, a little too patiently for my liking. I backed off slowly, dragging Bearetta and Gwaine with me by their tails.

"She was counting her treasure again…it was boring to watch." I said, backing up to the point where I was over the water in between the two boats.

"What about singing?" He demanded. I grinned.

"You want me to sing?" I saw his eyes widen comically, and pressed on before he could take back what he had said.

"Ok! I'll sing then!"

**_Surfin' USA by The Beach Boys_**

_If everybody had an oooocean_

_Across the USAAAAA_

_Then everybody'd be suuurfinn_

_Like Californi-a_

_You'd see 'em wearin' their baaaggiess_

_Huarachi sandals too_

_A bushy bushy blonde hairdooo_

_Surfin' USA_

_You'd catch 'em surfin' at Del Mar_

_Ventura County Line_

_Santa Cruise and Trestle_

_Australia's Narrabeen_

_All over Manhattan, and down Doheny way_

_Everybody's gone suuuurfin'_

_Surfin' USA_

_We'll all be planning that route_

_We're gonna take real soon_

_We're waxing down our surf-boards_

_We can't wait for June_

_We'll all be gone for the summer_

_We're on Safari to stay_

_Tell the teacher we're suurfin'_

_Surfin' USA_

_Haggerties and Swamies_

_Pacific palisades_

_San Onofre and Sunset_

_Redondo Beach L.A._

_All over La Jolla_

_And Wa'imea Bay_

_Everybody's gone suurfin'_

_Surfin' USA_

_Everybody's gone suurfin' _

_Surfin' USA_

_Everybody's gone suurfin'_

_Surfin' USA_

There was a pause as Zoro and Nami-baka stared at me in disbelief. Then Nami-baka smiled behind her hand while Zoro growled something and went back to his sleep spot. I scowled at his back and stuck my tongue out at him. :P Then, I hurriedly pretended that I hadn't stuck my tongue out at him when he turned back around. He stared at me for a moment with suspicion in his eyes, before apparently dismissing his suspicions, and lying down, closing his eyes again. Soon, snores could be heard from his side of the boat again. I grumbled, and exchanged funny looking angry faces with Gwaine and Bearetta.

"Why don't you ask Luffy to play?" Nami-baka asked me. I looked over to where Luffy was lying peacefully, snoring lightly.

"Wow, you truly are a baka." I remarked. She sputtered for a moment before I went on. "I would rather bother the one who doesn't play with me rather than the one who plays with me all the time and deserves some rest." I said, trying to sound logical. Apparently, it worked. She nodded, apparently satisfied in my answer. I sighed. Nami-baka had gone back to her counting. Boring. Zoro had gone back to sleep. Boring. Luffy needed his sleep, so I resolved to let him sleep. _BORING_! I wished I had a gun and a smiley face on a wall so I could practice my aim…but then again, I didn't like guns…hmm. That was a problem.

I flew up to my perch at the top of the mast, and stared up at the sky with Gwaine and Bearetta.

"Hey look!" I pointed out to them in a whisper, so as not to wake the boys or bother Nami-baka. "A rainbow! There are a lot of songs about rainbows." I looked at them both, pretending to be a teacher.

"Do you want to hear one?" Gwaine barked/chirped a yes, and I made Bearetta nod up and down, up and down. I smiled.

"Lean in, 'cause I'm gonna sing it quietly!" Gwaine flew closer, and I hugged Bearetta in my arms, and started to sing softly, staring up at the rainbow the entire time.

**_Rainbow Connection by Kermit the Frog_**

_Why are there so many_

_Songs about rainbows,_

_And what's on the other side?_

_Rainbows are visions_

_But only illusions,_

_And rainbows have nothing to hide._

_So we've been told and some choose to believe it._

_I know they're wrong, _

_Wait and see._

_Someday we'll find it,_

_The rainbow connection,_

_The lovers, the dreamers, and me._

_Who said that every wish_

_Would be heard and answered_

_When wished on the morning star._

_Somebody thought of that,_

_And someone believed it,_

_And look what it's done so far._

_What's so amazing that keeps us stargazing?_

_And what do you think we might see?_

_Someday we'll find it,_

_The rainbow connection,_

_The lovers, the dreamers, and me,_

_All of us under its spell, we know that it's probably magic,_

_Have you been half asleep?_

_And have you heard voices?_

_I've heard them calling my name._

_Is this the sweet sound,_

_That calls the young sailors?_

_The voice might be one and the same._

_I've heard it too many times to ignore it._

_It's something that I'm supposed to be._

_Someday we'll find it,_

_The rainbow connection,_

_The lovers, the dreamers, and me,_

_Laa dada dee dada doo la la dada dee dee da doo._

I finished the song, and, letting the words die away into the wind, I leaned backwards as far as I dared and looked up at the rainbow that decorated the sky so beautifully. Pink, purple, red, blue, green. Beautiful. I giggled, thinking about the leprechaun at the end of the rainbow. Maybe he was the leprechaun king, and he was using the rainbow as a way to check on his son. I glanced down at the (supposedly) sleeping form of Zoro, and giggled again when I saw his green hair. Son of the leprechaun king.

About three hours, and a lot of bugging Zoro later, Luffy finally woke up.

"Wanna play?!" I asked him, floating right in front of his face, my own face eager to drive the boredom away. He was about to reply, his face just as enthusiastic as mine, when his stomach growled. And it wasn't that small growl that a stomach makes when it's a _little_ hungry, no. It was a big big _big_ growl. The kind that made me do backwards somersaults in the air. _Rrrrrrruuuuummble!_

"Well…" He gave me an almost sheepish look, "I think I should have something to eat first." I pouted for a moment, but nodded anyway. Geez, the living were so picky about when to play…oh wait…so was I…*ahem* I watched him moodily as he gobbled up some fruit, and chugged down some water before turning back around to me. His face lit up in a grin.

"So, what do you want to play?" He asked me. I made a show of pretending to think, the way politicians did (or at least, that's what Grandpapa told me) when they were asked a difficult question.

"Hmmm…what to choose, what to choose…oooh! I know! I spy!" I finally cried, pointing into the air, and planting my other fist on my hip. Luffy cheered, and we both sat down to play.

"I'll go first!" I said, raising my hand. Luffy nodded. "I spy with my little eye…something…White!"

"Clouds!" Luffy immediately answered. I shook my head.

"Boo boo, wrong!"

"Sheep!"

"There's no sheep in the ocean!"

"Wave foam!"

"Is there such a thing?"

"Yes."

"Oh…well no, you're wrong."

"Hmmm…" Luffy really seemed stumped, but then, he caught me looking at Buggy's ship. I saw a light bulb turn on over his head.

"The Buggy skull!" He cried triumphantly. I nodded, and clapped my hands.

"Co-rrect!" I sang. "Your turn!"

"I spy with my little eye, something blue!"

"The sky!"

"Aaaw, how'd you guess?"

"It's either that or the sea!" I said with a smile. "Ok, I spy, something orange!" Luffy laughed.

"Oh, that's easy!" He shouted. "Nami's hair!" I spun in a circle, and giggled.

"I spy…Something blue!" Luffy shouted.

"The ocean!"

"Nope!" I blinked at him. Not the ocean? I frowned, thinking hard.

"My…hat?"

"Nope!"

"Nami-baka's clothes?"

"Nope!"

"…I give up!" I said with a sigh.

"Your eyes!" Luffy said, ecstatic that he had won one against me. I started to laugh along with him. "I win!"

We played patty-cake (Luffy won, of course), Simon says (Luffy lost, he never followed my directions!), and Shiratori*(We tied). After a while, Luffy decided to sit on his special seat and stare out at the ocean. He said he was going to think, so I left him alone. Instead, I decided to play dress up with Zoro. (Yes, he was asleep, otherwise I wouldn't have been able to dress him up! ;P)

"And the pink bow goes…here." I whispered to myself, Gwaine, and Bearetta. I carefully attached the bow to Zoro's head, and stepped back to view my creation. The pink bow adorned his hair, he had fake earrings on his right ear to match the ones on his left, and I tied a lacy baby bib around his neck that had the words 'son of the leprechaun king' embroidered on the front. I nodded to myself, satisfied at a job well done.

"We're being rash." Nami-baka suddenly said from her boat. I glanced at Zoro, who was just waking up, and skedaddled over to where Luffy was sitting.

"Why?" Luffy asked her. I flew to the front of him, and plopped down in his lap, half listening to their conversation, half listening for Zoro's angry shouting.

"We can't sail the _Grand Line_ like this!" She tried to explain.

"You're right!" Luffy replied, taking my hat off of my head and asking for a comb. I gave one to him, and he started to comb my hair in soothing strokes while continuing with his conversation. "That shrub-man gave us a lot of fruit, but we need meat to keep our strength up!"

"I'm not talking about _food_!" Nami-baka exclaimed. I giggled as I saw Zoro yawn and stretch out of the corner of my eye.

"She's right." Zoro yawned, placing his hands behind his head. "We don't have a drop of grog on board!" He seemed to notice that there was something on his chest, and looked down. I couldn't see very well, but I could tell he was angry.

"I'M NOT TALKING ABOUT BOOZE EITHER!" Nami-baka shouted.

"AAVE, YA LITTLE SCAMP!" Zoro shouted, tearing off the bib, earrings and bow. I squeaked, and wiggled in Luffy's grasp, trying to get free. Luffy responded by pulling the comb through my hair again.

"We're heading for the Grand Line!" Nam-baka continued, sending a glare in Zorro's direction. "The most dangerous sea in the world! And don't forget, the most successful pirates in the world are after the One Piece too! And their ships are big and sturdy…" she adopted a thinking pose, "ours are little tubs, and we don't even have a crew… if we go on like this, we'll never survive this foolhardy venture!" Luffy finished combing my hair, and then turned to talk to Nami-baka.

"So what should we do?" He asked her, placing my hat back on my head.

"Find more crewmates?" I suggested, switching Bearetta's nurse hat for a cowboy one.

"No, not yet." Nami-baka said. "I was thinking that we should to the village that's a little south from here. Our first priority is to acquire a proper vessel." I blinked in confusion.

"What's that in normal language?" I asked. She rolled her eyes.

"We need to buy a proper ship."

"_AND_ EAT MEAT!" Luffy shouted, raising both of his hands over his head.

"And Sake." Zoro said in a calmer voice, though he still glared at me angrily. I giggled into my hands, and played with my watch-necklace.

"Not everything is about meat and sake!" Nami-baka exclaimed, throwing her hands into the air in exasperation.

"Of course not!" I said. Nami-baka smiled at me, and I went on. "It's also about playing games!" Nami-baka face palmed, and groaned.

"Am I the only _sane_ one on this boat?" She asked herself.

"I am so far out of sane that the rest of you appear as tiny blips on the coast of sanity!" I declared, floating up off of Luffy's lap. Nami-baka looked up at me.

"You're saying you're insane?" She asked. I shook my head.

"No, it's _you_ who's _in_ sane." I explained. She frowned, trying to wrap her head around what I had said. I decided to help her.

"I'm _out_ of sane." She looked at me confusedly.

"And that means…" She prompted.

"I'm out of sane." I said, slowly as if talking to a child. (In essence, I _was_ older than them, by age if not maturity.)

"THAT DOESN'T MEAN ANYTHING!" Nami-baka yelled. I laughed, and retreated to my perch to play with Gwaine.

**(Line break)**

"What do you know!" Luffy exclaimed as he hopped out of the boat and onto shore. "There really _is_ an island here!"

"Of course there is!" Nami-baka said from farther up the shore. "It's on the map!"

"We should get a compass that only points where you want it to." I said, imagining the compass.

"What use would that be?" Nami-baka asked.

"It would be fun to play with!" I said with a laugh. She scowled at me. I whistled a happy tune, and looked anywhere but her face. She was obviously still mad about earlier, and I made it a point to never get a woman _too_ angry. After all, 'Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned.' That was a major saying in my house growing up, warning about my mother, and not to get her angry.

"There's a village here?" Luffy asked, pointing up the cliff, successfully diffusing the situation. Nami-baka turned to the map in her hands and smiled.

"Yeah," she said, "but it looks pretty small." I touched down on the beach and made myself 'human'. It took a lot of concentration, and I would have to have a piggyback from Luffy to wherever we were going, but for about 24 hours, I would have the semblance of life, though I still couldn't die a second time. I didn't get hungry either, which was always a plus.

"Up, please." I demanded Luffy, my legs betraying me. I fell to the ground, and lifted up my arms. Luffy scooped me up, and supported me the way my dad would. **A/N: Ok, here's a link to a picture that will show you what I tried to describe, but wasn't able to. **** picture-father-carrying-his-daughter-on-his-arms_ ****If that doesn't work, just google dad carrying daughter.**

"Aaah!" Zoro exclaimed, stretching up and popping his back. "Solid ground at last!"

"What?" Luffy wondered, bouncing me up and down. I giggled, and held onto my hat with one hand, and Bearetta with the other. "You slept the whole way."

"You lazy!" I said jokingly. Zoro threw me a glare before looking up to the top of the cliffs.

"So…" he said. "What do you think is up with _those_ guys?" He nodded up to the cliffs. Luffy and I looked over and up to see four figures (one taller than the others) stand up and gasp dramatically. Then, three of the four ran away, leaving the taller one behind.

"HEY, YOU GUYS!" I heard the tall one shout. "DON'T RUN AWAY!"

"Too late!" I sang into Luffy's ear, both of us watching as the tall one climbed down the cliff and faced us. The first thing I noticed was his nose.

"Ah!" I said, pointing at him. He looked at me with slight confusion. "I know you!" His face turned haughty.

"OF COURSE YOU KNOW ME!" he shouted. "I AM-"

"Pinocchio!" I said for him.

"YES! I AM…wait…" He looked at me, and then shouted, "I'M _NOT_ PINOCCHIO!" I covered my ears with one free hand and the paw of Bearetta.

"Not so loud." I muttered, sticking my tongue out at him.

"I AM THE NOTORIOUS CAPTAIN USOPP!" He shouted, crossing his arms and looking smug. "FEARED PIRATE, AND RULER OF THIS VILLAGE!"

"No, you're a wooden puppet whose nose grows when he tells lies." I corrected him. "And you have a Cricket conscience, whose name is Jiminy Cricket. Where is he, by the way? I want to meet him." Pinocchio blinked at me.

"I have no idea what you're talking about." He said to me. "But you all better think twice before you invade! I have 80 billion men poised to stop you!"

"Your nose grows!" I exclaimed, pointing at his nose with the hand that held Bearetta.

"What?" He asked, looking around in hopes for a translation.

"She means that you're lying." Nami-baka explained.

"DARN! SHE SAW THROUGH ME!" Pinocchio screamed, holding his head and looking at Nami-baka in shock.

"See?I knew it." Nami-baka said, a sweatdrop running down her head.

"DARN! I ADMITTED THAT I LIED!" Pinocchio shouted, rolling back and forth on the ground. "SHE'S A MASTER OF INTERROGATION!"

"Hahahahaha!" Luffy laughed. "You're funny, Pinocchio!"

"MY NAME'S USOPP! AND ARE YOU LAUGHING AT ME?!" Pinocchio/Usopp shouted. "I'M A PROUD MAN! WHICH IS WHY THEY CALL ME 'PROUD CAPTAIN USOPP'!"

"Your nose grows." I said resolutely. Pinocchio clapped a hand over his nose and glared at me.

"Not helping, Aave." Nami-baka said. I fell silent, playing with Bearetta's hat. Luffy looked at me for a moment before turning back to Pinocchio.

"So, Pinocchio, is there a place with meat anywhere around here?" He asked.

"It's _Usopp_." Pinocchio replied. "And yes, follow me."

**(Line break)**

"Meshi." I read out loud, looking up at the sign of the inn that Pinocchio (sorry. _Usopp_) had led us to. Luffy drooled, and almost dropped me. I clung onto him with a yelp.

"Food!" He exclaimed. I tightened my grip as he burst inside and immediately grabbed a seat, plopping me down so I was between him and the window.

"Oi, old lady! Meat!" He shouted to the lady behind the counter who was reading a newspaper. She nodded, and started to cook.

"And sake!" Zoro added. She tossed over a bottle. I hummed and kicked my feet against the seat, finally getting some strength back.

"Ne, Nami-baka?" I asked her. She looked over at me questioningly, fork poised to stab some salad.

"Yes, Aave-chan?" She asked. I grimaced at the nick name she gave me.

"What were your friends like?" I asked, fiddling with the hat on my head. Nami-baka stared at me.

"What brought this on?"

"Just wonderin'."

"Well, I didn't have many. But I do have an older sister. She's nice." Nami-baka said. I nodded thoughtfully. "Do you have any?" She asked me.

"I did, but they're all dead." I said. "Ghost, remember?" She looked at me sadly.

"G-g-g-g-g-g-ghost?!" Pinocchio/Usopp stuttered. I blinked at him.

"Yeah, I'm a ghost." I said, nodding my head. He fell backwards out of his chair, pale white.

"IIIIYAAAA!" He screamed. I pouted and crossed my arms, glaring at him, and then looking pointedly at Luffy. Luffy looked up from his meat long enough to whack Usopp on the head.

"OW!" Usopp yelled. "WHY'D YOU DO THAT?"

"You were screaming. It was annoying." Luffy said as a way of explanation.

"I'm going to sleep." I said, yawning tiredly.

"I thought ghosts don't sleep?" Nami-baka asked me.

"I'm in human form now." I said. "I dunno how it works, but instead of blacking out, in this form I sleep."

"How long are you human?" Zoro asked, taking a swig of sake.

"24 hours." I responded. "You're my pillow. Don't move." I said to Luffy, who nodded and continued to gorge himself. I yawned again, and curled up on the bench, resting my head on Luffy's lap, and I slept.

_Flashback Dream!_

_ "__Hey there!" Hoshi-chan called out to me. I turned to see her running into my clearing, looking excited about something. _

_ "__What is it?" I asked. With Hoshi-chan, you never knew. One time, she made flowers turn into doves. _

_ "__Aave-yuuyuu! I found this!" She held out something in her brown encased hand. I peered at it. It looked to be a Robin egg. _

_ "__Is it still alive?" I asked, afraid for the little unborn robin. Hoshi-chan's grin widened considerably._

_ "__It's hatching now!" She said, eyes shining. Sure enough, I saw little cracks appear over the surface. I held my breath to listen, and heard a tiny _crack_. I looked up at Hoshi-chan, eyes wide. _

_ "__It's hatching!" I whisper-shouted. She wiggled with excitement. _

_ "__I know!" We both stared at the egg excitedly, watching the cracks grow bigger, and start to separate. The egg popped open, and out came a small baby robin, no bigger than my thumb. _

_ "__It's adorable!" Hoshi-chan gushed as the baby Robin fell over on her hand and cheeped at us. _

_ "__Where's its mother?" I asked, looking around in the sky for a Robin that might take the baby and raise it as its own. I couldn't see any._

_ "__I don't know." Hoshi-chan admitted. "As far as I know, there aren't any Robins on this island." _

_ "__Then how did it get here?" I asked her curiously. She looked up from what was in her hand. _

_ "__It's a mystery!" She announced with a grin. I laughed and clapped my hands, blissfully unaware that the Robin baby wouldn't live to see the next day, and the following day after that, Hoshi-chan would be dead._

_End Flashback Dream_

I yawned and opened my eyes at the sensation of movement. Luffy was carrying me as he had before, and we were walking in the direction of a large mansion that dominated the hillside.

"Where're we goin'?" I asked, rubbing my eyes.

"We're going to ask a rich girl for a ship!" Luffy explained.

"Oh. Ok." I said, looking around. There were three kids along with Nami-baka and Zoro. One looked like an onion, another like a carrot, and the third like a pepper. We looked at each other for a moment.

"Who're you?" I asked them. They jumped as they were walking (how did they manage that?) and answered in a globbed mess. All I gathered from that was that the Onion was named Onion, the Pepper was named Pepper, and the Carrot was named Carrot. Interesting.

"What happened to Pinocchio?" I asked Luffy, deciding to ignore the three kids with the literal names.

"He went to tell lies to the rich girl to cheer her up!" Luffy said. "Isn't he a nice guy?"

"Depends on the lies." I said. Finally, we arrived at the gates.

"Hey you!" Luffy called to the gate. "Give us a ship!"

***Shiratori is a Japanese word game where you take the last character of the item mentioned, and say the name of another thing. Your word cannot end in 'nn', otherwise it's an instant loss.**

**I'll end that there for now! Just a heads up, I won't be able to update from March 5****th**** through March 16****th****. I'm going on an adventure where sadly, I will not be able to access internets unless I want to be hacked…**


	12. Chapter 12

**Ureshiitamago: Boo yah! 12 Chappies! I. Am. Amazing!**

**Aave: You are?**

**Ureshiitamago: Why yes, yes I am.**

**Aave: Nice to meet you, Amazing! I'm Aave!**

**Ureshiitamago: *insert facepalm here* That was a stupid joke…**

**Aave: Here are the thankies!**

**We would like to thank Varus the Shadow Sage, Morietachibana, Cassie2012, Cyannel, AlwaysReading42, xxMockingbirdxxx, Cattakari, Aria868, little firework, Salazar James Slytherin, FallenArcAngel16, and amerdism for following/favoriting this story!**

**Also, a special thanks to amerdism(here's the next chappie ;)), WellHelloThere (guest), Cyannel, and QuirkyKit for reviewing**

** WellHelloThere: Since you reviewed as a guest, here's your reply! XD Yes, that was a Sherlock reference! I'm glad you caught that!**

**Ureshiitamago: There ya go! I do not own One Piece or any songs or references in this fanfic. **

_ "__What happened to Pinocchio?" I asked Luffy, deciding to ignore the three kids with the literal names. _

_ "__He went to tell lies to the rich girl to cheer her up!" Luffy said. "Isn't he a nice guy?" _

_ "__Depends on the lies." I said. Finally, we arrived at the gates._

_ "__Hey you!" Luffy called to the gate. "Give us a ship!"_

**Chapter 12: Ghosts running out of titles :(**

"They won't hear you." I said from Luffy's arms. "You're too quiet."

"…" Luffy was silent for a moment, contemplating what I said.

"Do you want me to be loud?" I asked. "I can be loud!"

"Naw." Luffy said, hitching me higher up on his hip and climbing the gate. "Let's go in."

"Ever heard of knocking?" the one named Pepper shouted up at us.

"Nope!" I called back, clinging to Luffy's neck with one arm, and my hat and Bearetta with the other.

"There's no stopping them now." I heard Nami-baka mutter.

"I guess we'll have to go with them." Zoro remarked, crossing his arms and looking up at us. I stuck my tongue out at him from over Luffy's shoulder. I yelped and then started giggling as Luffy hopped down off of the gate.

"Piggyback ride?" I asked Luffy hopefully. Wordlessly, he allowed himself to be a jungle gym for a moment to allow me to climb around him onto his back. I had a little trouble, seeing as I wouldn't let Bearetta go, but I got there in the end.

"_Yankee Doodle went to London, riding on a pony, stuck a feather in his cap and called it Macaroni."_ I sang as we waited for the others to climb over the fence.

"What's _that_ song?" Nami-baka asked as she landed next to us. I grinned over at her.

"It's a song I was taught by a ghost from a different place." I said. "Wanna hear the rest?"

"No." Nami-baka answered, rather too quickly for my liking. I pouted at her, and then turned farther around as I craned my neck up to see Zoro helping the kids over the fence. *throw* Pepper was over the fence. *throw* Onion was over the fence. *scream* *yell* *throw* Carrot was over the fence. Zoro jumped down to us with a grimace on his face. Carrot had screamed in his ear at the height of the gate. I bet he had a popped ear drum. Margareta agreed with me.

"Now let's go find Pinocchio/Captain!" Us four kids called out at the same time. We frowned at each other.

"I said it first!" We all said again.

"No, _I_ did."

"NO, I DID!"

"N-" Nami-baka cut us off by giving the four of us lumps on our heads.

"Onibaba…" the four of us said. Nami-baka glared at us, and raised her fist again. We clapped our hands over our mouths.

"Wahaha!" Luffy laughed. "Well, let's go find Pinocchio-Usopp!" He said, walking in a random direction. I tugged on his hat to get his attention.

"I hear voices from _that_ direction." I said, pointing in the direction opposite from where he was going. Luffy did a quick about-face and started to jog in the opposite direction. I grinned and waved at the others as we passed them for a second time.

"Onwards!" I shouted, tackling Luffy's head as I pointed in the direction of the voices excitedly. Luffy laughed and sped up a little.

"CAPTAIN!" The three kids shouted as we came within sight of Usopp sitting against a tree and talking to a beautiful lady.

"That's right, they called me…" Usopp trailed off as he looked over at us.

"What are _you guys_ doing here?!" he demanded with a gasp. Pepper, Carrot, and Onion pointed at Luffy and I.

"We brought these guys with us." They reported. I made a face at Usopp, pulling my bottom eyelids down and making my mouth do an under bite. The lady giggled at my antics.

"Who are they?" She asked Usopp.

"You must be the mistress of this place!" Luffy exclaimed, putting two and two together. Usopp ambled over to us, and attempted to put his arm over Luffy's shoulders, but I attempted to bite his hand off. He leapt back from me as if I were a demon, and laughed nervously.

"Oh, they heard of my reputation from afar, and came to seek me out." He said, quickly recovering from his ghost scare. I stuck my tongue out at him. "They're the newest members of my crew!" I frowned.

"I'm not part of any crew." I said, kicking my feet.

"Yes!" Luffy agreed with Usopp without thinking, and then backtracked. "Wait, that's not right." I laughed, and leaned over Luffy's shoulder to look the pretty lady in the eye.

"Why are you sick?" I asked her. Usopp started yelling something incomprehensible. The pretty lady looked at me sadly.

"Well, when my parents died, I fell into a state of depression, and I'm still trying to get over it. It makes me unable to walk very far, and I become winded just walking down the hallway." She explained. I nodded slowly, understanding maybe half of what she'd said.

"Hmm…" I hummed, and then realized something. "Oh yeah! Luffy wanted to ask you a favor!" I said, whacking Luffy on the head to make him realize we were talking about him, and to point him out to the pretty lady.

"A favor?" She said, looking slightly intrigued. "To ask of me?"

"Yeah!" Luffy exclaimed, letting go of my legs and throwing his arms out to the side. I managed to whack him on the head and stabilize myself without falling. "We want a big sturdy ship!" Luffy said, but was drowned out by another extremely unpleasant voice.

"WHAT IS THE MEANING OF THIS?!" I looked to my right as Luffy turned to see who had shown up. It was a man with black slicked back hair, glasses that were almost falling off of his nose, and a black suit with gold poop embroidering the labels. I blinked at his outfit before hiding my face on Luffy's shoulder so I wouldn't be seen laughing at him.

"You realize you are trespassing?!" the man exclaimed, frowning at us like we were insects. I stopped laughing and looked up at him. In all my time being 'around', I had met many people, and learnt many things, like how to _read_ people. Basically, I could get a grasp of what a person's personality was if I really wanted to and applied myself, which I hardly ever did.

"He's a meanie." I whispered into Luffy's ear after staring at the man for a moment.

"The butler!" Usopp said, looking the other way.

"Klahadore!" The pretty lady said, looking over at the butler who now had a name.

"That's a funny name." I whispered to Luffy. He grinned in response.

"He has poop on his jacket." He said, pointing it out. I giggled.

"I know!"

"You see, these people are…" the pretty lady trailed off as Klahadore interrupted her.

"Save your excuses for later." He said, holding his hand up to stop her from talking.

"You must all go immediately." Klahadore said to us in a commanding tone. "Or do you have some business here?"

"I want a sturdy ship!" Luffy said with a grin.

"I can't help you." Klahadore replied immediately.

"Booooring!" I called from Luffy's back as Luffy sagged with disappointment. Zoro patted Luffy on the head in an attempt to cheer him up. Klahadore looked over at Usopp.

"You…you're Usopp, aren't you?" He said. I could hear a nasty tone in his voice. "Your reputation precedes you…You're the talk of the village."

"Uh…thanks!" Usopp replied. "Call me 'Captain Usopp' if you please!" He pointed at himself, holding his head up high. "But really, there's no need for flattery." Klahadore's face darkened as he adjusted his glasses with his palm.

"The guards…they've reported seeing you lurking around the estate. Do you have any business being here?" he said.

"Well…yes, I do." Usopp replied shakily. "I saw a legendary _mole_ enter this estate. I'm trying to capture him!" I watched the exchange with wide eyes, not liking where the conversation was leading.

"Hmph. You've a gift for deceit." Klahadore said, shaking his head slightly.

"What?" Usopp asked, looking momentarily confused.

"I've also heard stories about your father." I tugged on Luffy's hair to get his attention.

"This isn't good." I muttered to him. Luffy frowned, but didn't ask how I knew.

"**You're the son of a filthy pirate.**" Klahadore's face looked positively murderous as he adjusted his glasses with his palm again. "**I wouldn't put anything past you. Stay away from mistress Kaya.**" I tugged nervously on Luffy's hair again as a shock ran through everyone else.

"Wow! His father's a pirate?!" Luffy exclaimed, ignoring my tugging. Usopp muttered something that I couldn't catch, but he looked angry at the comment, even from the back.

"You and mistress Kaya are from completely different worlds." Klahadore went on. My child danger sensor was going off the charts. "Is it money you're after? How much do you want?" _Why did he immediately leap to the assumption that Usopp wanted money_? I wondered.

"**YOU'VE GONE TOO FAR, KLAHADORE!**" Kaya shouted at the butler. "**YOU OWE USOPP-KUN AN APOLOGY!**"

"Mistress Kaya, why should I apologize to this trash?" Klahadore protested. "I'm only speaking the truth." He turned back to Usopp and adjusted his glasses with his palm again. "But I do feel sorry for you…your treasure crazed idiot father did abandon you." Luffy gripped my legs as I attempted to fly over his head (figuratively) and pummel the idiot butler. Anger surged through me on Usopp's behalf. Kaya evidently had almost the same thoughts as I did.

"KLAHADORE!" She shouted at him in a reprimanding and furious tone.

"**STOP BADMOUTHING MY FATHER!**" Usopp shouted, looking murderous himself.

"What are you getting so worked up about?" Klahadore asked him pompously. "Why not just fabricate some of your outrageous lies about your father?" I was steadily becoming angrier as Klahadore went on, and could tell that Usopp was too. What he said next was the last straw for Usopp. "Just say that he's really a merchant, or that he's not your real father, or perhaps…" Klahadore was cut off as Usopp punched him on the face. Hard. Hard enough to send Klahadore flying a foot or two.

"**_SHUT UP!_**" Usopp shouted as he punched the butler. Inside I was cheering for him, outside I was still seething at the butler. I hated it when someone started to mock someone just because of their family members. And having a pirate dad was _cool_ dammit! Luffy gripped my legs harder to keep me from doing something stupid. Psh. Like I was going to do that. Naw.

"CAPTAIN!" The three kids yelled.

"SEE HOW HE IS?" Klahadore yelled to Kaya. "HIS FIRST INSTINCT IS VIOLENCE! HE'S AN ANIMAL—LIKE HIS FATHER!"

"SHUT UP!" Usopp shouted. "**_I'M PROUD THAT MY FATHER IS A PIRATE! I'M PROUD THAT HE'S A BRAVE WARRIOR OF THE SEA! _**_YOU'RE RIGHT, I DO MAKE UP STORIES…__**BUT THERE'S ONE THING I'LL NEVER LIE ABOUT! I'LL NEVER LIE ABOUT MY PIRATE HERITAGE! **__**I'M THE SON OF A PIRATE!**_"

"Hey, wait a minute." Luffy said suddenly. "Now I remember."

"Remember what?" I asked him curiously. My anger at Klahadore was still there, but it was muted with the pride I felt when Usopp admitted his heritage.

"Something from my childhood." Luffy said nonchalantly.

"A pirate, 'a brave warrior of the sea'?" Klahadore said mockingly, getting up and adjusting his glasses. "That's a deceitful way to twist the truth. Nonetheless, your behavior is indisputable proof of your ruffian heritage." I tried to tug my hat over my entire head, this conversation was vexing me that much.

"Lie all you want…but, faced with difficulty, your first recourse is violence!" _Not true_. I thought, remembering Hoshi-chan. _There are nonviolent pirates. They are few, but they're there._ I must have said this out loud, because everyone was looking at me. I stuck my tongue out at Klahadore. He snorted.

"I know that he" he gestured to Usopp. "Is only kind to Miss Kaya because he's after her." I shook my head silently. He didn't seem like the kind of person to back down from what he thought or assumed.

"What?!" Usopp exclaimed. "I-" he was cut off by Klahadore again.

"I'M ONTO YOUR SCHEME, YOU SCALAWAG!" He shouted. "YOU'RE TRASH! LIKE YOUR PIRATE FATHER!" Usopp grabbed the front of Klahadore's suit and raised his other fist to punch him again.

"THAT'S ENOUGH!" Usopp shouted, winding up to punch the butler.

"STOP, USOPP!" Kaya pleaded, leaning out of her window. "PLEASE, NO MORE VIOLENCE!" Usopp paused just as he was starting the punch, and looked over at Kaya.

"Klahadore's not a bad person…" she said, bringing her hand to her face and crying into it. "He takes care of me. He only wants what's best for me. He just…went too far…" _The man insulted Usopp's family…that's going way past far._

"…leave the grounds." The butler demanded, smacking Usopp's hand away from him.

"THIS IS NO PLACE FOR A RUFFIAN LIKE YOU! NEVER COME NEAR THIS ESTATE AGAIN!" Klahadore shouted.

"Fine, have it your way." Usopp said angrily, glaring at the butler. "I'm leaving. AND I'M NEVER COMING BACK!" He walked away with his hands in his pockets, slouching.

"STUPID SMELLY **BUTT**-LER!" Carrot shouted. "THE CAPTAIN'S A GREAT GUY!"

"YEAH, **FOOL**!" shouted Pepper.

"DUMB-BELL!" added Onion.

"POOP JACKET!" I shouted at him.

"**KNUCKLE HEAD!**" Luffy shouted.

"You two too?" Zoro said, smacking us both on the backs or our heads. I grabbed my hat as it fell off of my head, plopped it back on, and stuck my tongue out at Zoro. Klahadore adjusted his glasses again as we continued to insult him.

"C'MON AND FIGHT!" Luffy shouted. Zoro grabbed the back of my t-shirt, causing me to attempt to strangle Luffy in order to stay on his back.

"Easy, Luffy!" Zoro said.

"Nooo! Stay here! My piggyback ride!"

"GET OFF THIS PROPERTY IMMEDIATELY!" roared Klahadore. It was a mad rush to get to the gate, and when we did, Zoro jumped over first, then turned around to catch me as Luffy threw me over. I yelped as I landed in Zoro's arms, and then was set down on the ground so Zoro could catch the three boys who Luffy tossed over as well. I looked around.

"Where's Gwaine?" I asked Luffy as he jumped down next to me.

"The dog-bird?" Luffy asked, also looking around. I nodded, and Luffy shrugged.

"I dunno." He said. I frowned and clutched Bearetta to my chest.

"Maybe he's guarding the boats?" suggested Nami-baka, landing to my right.

"Maybe." I said, taking off my hat, putting Bearetta inside, and then putting my hat back on my head. Bearetta wasn't going anywhere. I looked around to see if my piggyback ride was still in the area. He wasn't.

"Zoro, can I have a piggyback ride?" I asked him, standing up and wobbling slightly. I hoped Zoro wouldn't notice that, but nooo.

"Why are you wobbling around like you're drunk?" He asked, a sliight smirk on his face. I mumbled an answer under my breath, but he put his hand to his ear and said loudly, "What? I can't hear you!"

"I'VE FORGOTTEN HOW TO WALK!" I shouted, the force of the shout driving me onto my bum. My face flushed a deep scarlet as Zoro guffawed. I glared at Nami-baka, who was hiding her giggles behind her hand. "Well?" I asked Zoro, who stopped laughing long enough to scoop me up. I continued to mutter threats on how I was going to paint his face in rainbows as he carried me to a nearby fence line.

"Ok, let's make you relearn how to walk." He said. I scowled, and nodded. "First," he said, setting me on my feet. I clutched the fence for support, "you lift your leg…"

"FAIRY QUEEN, SMACK THAT SMIRK OFF HIS FACE!" I shouted. Out of nowhere (to them at least) Zoro was bitch-slapped. He immediately drew his swords, looking around for the enemy that wasn't there.

"I haven't forgotten in my _mind_ how to walk, I've forgotten in my _muscles_." I said pompously, frowning at my legs. Lift up one leg, out, down, lift up other leg, out down, repeat. In 15 minutes, I was walking around, and even trying to run. The two boys who were left and I shrieked as we played tag together.

"I wonder where Luffy went…" I heard Nami-baka say. I skidded to a stop beside her and clambered onto the fence.

"He went to go see Pinocchio." I said, sticking my tongue out at Carrot, who was 'it', and trying to tag me.

"How are you so sure?" Nami-baka asked me.

"It's a Luffy thing to do." I responded with a shrug.

"You can't stay up there forever!" Carrot cried, chasing after Pepper.

"Watch me!" I shouted back.

"He's right, you can't." Nami-baka said before pushing me off of the fence. I yelled as I hit the ground and rolled.

"We know where the Captain went!" Carrot said, stopping beside me and tagging me. I grumbled, and grabbed Pepper's foot.

"Yeah!" Pepper said. "To the beach. Whenever something happens, that's where he always goes."

"Wanna see?" They asked at the same time. We were all sitting against the fence.

"No thanks." Zoro said.

"Hey, aren't you missing someone?" Nami-baka asked them, leaning down from her perch on top of the fence.

"Yeah, Onion!" Pepper said. "He always disappears…"

"And then he comes back running and screaming." Finished Carrot.

"Isn't that a little too predictable?" I asked, combing Margareta's hair.

"Yeah, a little." The other two admitted.

"WAAAAAAAAA! IT'S HORRIBLE! A BACKWARDS MAN!" I looked over at where the shouting was coming from. It was Onion, booking it down the road towards us.

"Onion!" Carrot said in surprise. I sweatdropped. _He always does it, why are you so surprised?_ I thought, concerned on where exactly the human race was headed.

"IT'S HORRIBLE! WAAAHH! A BACKWARDS MAN!" Onion shouted again, running as fast as he could towards us. Carrot and Pepper stood up to meet him on the road.

"THERE'S A STRANGE MAN HEADED THIS WAY WALKING BACKWARDS!" Onion shouted, pointing back the way he came.

"Liar." Carrot and Pepper chorused at the same time.

"IT'S TRUE!" Onion shouted. "LOOK!" We looked, and indeed, there was a strange backwards walking man walking backwards down the road. Zoro and I stood up, and I clambered back onto the fence to sit beside Nami-baka. I watched, swinging my legs against the fence, as the backwards man drew closer.

"Hey! Who just called me strange?" He demanded. I stared at his chin. It looked like there was some kind of striped mushroom bottom growing out of it.

"I'm not strange!" The strange man insisted.

"You're a little strange." Nami-baka said.

"A lot strange." I added.

"Don't be silly." The strange man said. "I'm just your typical traveling hypnotist."

"Wow! A hypnotist!"

"Show us a trick!"

"Yeah! Show us!" the three boys demanded.

"What? Don't be silly. I don't even know you." The strange hypnotist said. "Why should I preform for someone I've only just met?" There was a slight pause as he pulled out a dangerous looking ring on a string.

"Oh well…look at the ring…" he said.

"Then you're gonna preform?" Zoro asked, a sweatdrop slowly making its way down his head. The hypnotist ignored him. I looked everywhere _but_ the ring.

"When I say, 'One, two, Django', you'll fall sound asleep." The hypnotist balanced on his toes to squat, and the ring started to move.

"Ready?" He asked. The three kids nodded, I squeezed my eyes shut.

"One," I started to feel sleepy.

"Two," I pinched myself to try and stay awake.

"Django!" I fell onto Nami-baka's lap, sound asleep.

I woke up by Nami-baka lightly slapping my cheek.

"Oooi, wake up." She called out. "The hypnotist is gone." I blinked open my eyes, and immediately sat up, resulting in our foreheads colliding together.

"OW!" We both yelled, clutching our foreheads.

"WHY'D YOU DO THAT?!" she demanded.

"ISN'T THAT A NATURAL RESPONSE TO BEING WOKEN UP SO SUDDENLY?!" I shouted back. There was a pause as Nami-baka considered my point. After she was done thinking about it, she nodded.

"Point taken." She said. "But next time, don't do that. If you were in ghost form, I would be shivering on the ground right now." I grinned at her.

"Well, joke's on you 'cause I don't sleep in my normal form." I said, sitting up off of the ground and dusting my back off. I checked to make sure that my watch, hat, and bear were in the proper places…Where was Bearetta?...GAH!

"BEARETTA'S GONE!" I screeched, shaking my hat frantically as if she would pop out of the seams. I started searching around where I had ran while playing tag with the boys. Nami-baka, Zoro, and the boys started looking with me. I leapt onto the other side of the fence, and started looking around the ground on that side.

"No no no no no no no no…" I muttered.

"Found her." Zoro said, walking back from the direction of the mansion. I took the fence in one jump, and in another, right up to him. I grabbed Bearetta from his hands, and looked her over, searching for any rips or tears. Finding none, I hugged Zoro quickly before skipping back to the others, and we all leaned against the fence, pooped from our search for the stuffed bear. I had stuffed her inside my shirt so that she wouldn't get lost as easily.

"Whoa." Zoro said suddenly. "What's that?" I leaned on his head from where I was sitting beside him on the fence, and narrowed my eyes on the figure, which was steadily becoming larger.

"Looks like Pinocchio." I remarked.

"Can you get off my head?"

"No." We watched as Pinocchio raced by without as much as a how de do.

"Captain!" the three boys called after him.

"Hmmm." Zoro said. "And you were so sure that Luffy'd be with him." He said to me. I smacked his forehead with my hand repeatedly.

"Is he still upset about what the butler said about his father?" Nami-baka wondered, sliding off of the fence.

"Who knows?" Zoro said as I hopped onto his shoulders.

"No! Did you see his face?!" Carrot shouted, clenching his fists in front of him.

"Something must have happened at the beach!" Pepper shouted, also clenching his fists.

"He was as pale as a sheet!" added Onion, adopting the same pose as the other two. I smacked the top of Zoro's head to get his attention.

"If I'm right about Luffy having been with him, I get to play dress up with you." I ordered. Zoro grimaced.

"Fine." He said, knowing that he couldn't win that argument. "Hey, how do we get to the beach?" He asked the three boys.

"I smell trouble!" Carrot said to the other two boys excitedly.

"That hypnotist was headed that way too!" Pepper said, looking grim and crossing his arms.

"It's time for Usopp's Pirates to take action!" Onion shouted.

"Yeah, sure, but show us the way to the beach." Zoro said, sweatdropping at their actions. The three nodded and started to show us the way to the beach. We were walking down the road that Usopp had been tearing down in a hurry.

"_Hi hoo, hi hooo, it's off to the beach we goo!_" I sang.

"I'm going to dump you off if you continue singing." Zoro warned me. After that threat, I was strangely silent. When we got to the beach, it took us a while to find Luffy. When we did, I almost fell off of Zoro's shoulders laughing. Luffy was lying on his head sleeping!

**Ok, I know that's not much of a place to cut it off, but oh well! As Persassius Jackson says; Deal with it. Later!**


	13. Chapter 13

**Ureshiitamago: Hey thar! Welp, if you think the last chappie was horrible, it's cause I'm having a major (I guess) on this story…Maybe I shouldn't post chapters if I'm not really that into them…Don't get me wrong, I will continue this fanfic! (Through thick and through thin, and this is the thin) **

**Aave: This chapter is going to be short!**

**Ureshiitamago: *guilty face* it's really hard to even be able to write this much…but I will continue to persevere! (And hopefully, I will be able to get through this thing.) **

**Aave: Thankies!**

**We would like to thank Ashlielle, bloodemon2, willow-wisp-kitten (like your username btw), QuestionsxAndxAnswers, goldenemu (like yours too), DuncanIdaho2014, Souls of the Blue Fire Phoenix, Akaidance, Forever Sleepy, and Rina Dragonfly for following/favoriting!**

**Also, a special thanks to Souls of the Blue Fire Phoenix for reviewing!**

**Ureshiitamago: Also, for you Harry Potter fans out there, I'm making a fanfic on that too. Though I'm being smarter about that one. If you want more information on that, feel free to PM me. **

**Aave: Are you trying to get out of writing this fanfic? *Dangerous glare***

**Ureshiitamago: No, that's what several of my friends reading this story asked, and I'm definitely ****_not_**** abandoning this story. (I will be taking down Spirit Contract though, it needs some major changes. I was young and stupid, though it was only just last year) Anyway, here's the next (smaller) chapter!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own any reference, song, or mentioned story (One Piece) in this fanfic, only Aave.**

_ "_Hi hoo, hi hooo, it's off to the beach we goo!_" I sang._

_ "__I'm going to dump you off if you continue singing." Zoro warned me. After that threat, I was strangely silent. When we got to the beach, it took us a while to find Luffy. When we did, I almost fell off of Zoro's shoulders laughing. Luffy was lying on his head sleeping!_

**Chapter 13: Anyghost got any ghostly chappie titles?**

"Luffy's sleeping!" I cried, pointing at Luffy's awkward position.

"I can see that…" Zoro replied from below me. I whacked the top of his head repeatedly.

"I _know_ you can, I'm just pointing it out!" I said huffily. Zoro had the guts to roll his eyes, I could tell. I whacked his head again, and then jumped off, landing on the sand and running over to Luffy.

"_Wake up you sleepy head, rub your eyes, get out of bed, wake up the wicked witch is dead!_" I sang as I jumped onto him and began using him as a trampoline. On my fourth jump, I was grabbed and shoved into the sand. I yelped, and gave an almighty struggle (which didn't last long seeing as he was tickling me :() and then fell silent as Luffy began retelling his tale. Apparently the poop-butler was really a pirate, and he wanted to kill Kaya. The three kids were upset about that.

"WHAT?!"

"MISS KAYA'S GOING TO BE KILLED?!"

"REALLY, STRAWHAT MAN? PIRATES ARE REALLY GOING TO ATTACK THE VILLAGE?" I plugged my ears when they shouted, making a la-la-la-la-laaa sound as I did so. Wow, they had _lungs_!

"Yup," confirmed Luffy. "That's what they said! No doubt about it!"

"Kind of an odd place to take a nap, isn't it?" Zoro pointed out. I looked up at the cliff looming above us.

"It's strange," I heard Luffy say confusedly. "I thought I was on _top_ of the cliff."

"Maybe you fell?" I suggested.

"Maybe," admitted Luffy, shrugging. The kids were still screaming at each other in panic.

"SO THAT **BUTT**-LER REALLY _IS_ A BAD GUY!" shouted Carrot.

"I NEVER DID LIKE HIM!" shouted Pepper.

"AND THE HYPNOTIST IS IN ON IT TOO!" added Onion.

"OH MY GOD, IT'S THE END OF THE WORLD!" I shouted at the top of my lungs, thoroughly irritated by their screaming. (What? I'm _old_ despite my young mind…) The three of them jumped at my voice and covered their ears.

"Ow, you yell _loud_!" They said. I stuck my tongue out at them.

"You were yelling first!" I said back. Nami-baka stepped between us as we all glared at each other, and changed the subject.

"So that's what your captain was doing." She said. "_That's _why he was running towards the village like his pants were on fire…"

"Aaw, I thought that was because a black cat was chasing him, and he didn't want its bad luck to rub off on him." I said sadly. I pretended to cry while Nami-baka stared at me like my weirdness was catching, and it was, in a way. I got my weirdness from Hoshi-chan after all, before that, I was only semi-weird.

"O-k…anyway, the villagers will have plenty of warning, so it'll be all right,"

"Unless they didn't believe Pinocchio!"

"…they can just hide out in the hills. Pirates are generally dumb."

"I'm not dumb."

"Quiet, Aave, it's not helping."

"No."

Meanwhile, the three kids were having a different (but kind of similar) conversation.

"Hey! Maybe we should go hid too!" Carrot said.

"Yeah, and we'd better take all our valuables!" added Pepper. Onion started to count off 'valuables' on his fingers.

"…piggy bank…snacks…model ship…what else?"

"HURRY" they ran off.

'"OH NO!" Luffy shouted. Nami-baka and looked over at him from our small argument over who would be quiet first. (I was winning.)

"What's wrong?" Zoro asked.

"Did you remember the black cat that was chasing Pinocchio?" I asked. Luffy shook his head.

"I've got to go buy some meat!" exclaimed Luffy, looking panicked. "Before the butcher leaves town!" Nami-baka whacked him on the head.

"That's not the first priority here!" She shouted. I sat down next to Luffy.

"What's the first priority then?" I asked. She smiled at me.

"Getting out of here alive." She answered, and I scowled. That wasn't a very good answer.

"What about playing games?" I asked.

"NO!" She shouted, growing shark teeth.

We should probably get some sake before the alcohol seller leaves town too." Zoro said, looking in the direction opposite the village. I stood up and bounded over to where he was.

"TAG! YOU'RE IT!" I shouted, and then started to run in the direction of the village, screaming loudly about an escaped son of the leprechaun king chasing me. Which he was…armed with swords…sharp swords…I looked behind me, squeaked when I saw that he was closing in, and noticed that the others were far behind, except for Luffy, who was gaining. I decided to run around a bush to buy the others some time.

"_All around the mulberry bush, the monkey chased the weasel, the monkey thought 'twas all in good fun, POP goes the weasel!_" I sang, not getting dizzy in the least. I couldn't say the same for Zoro, unfortunately (or fortunately, depending on how you look at it). We had ran around the bush (which may or may not have been a mulberry bush) around 20 times when Luffy caught up to us.

"ZORO! TAG ME!" He shouted, jumping up and down and waving his arms over his head like an excited two year old. I ran past Luffy, heading for Nami-baka.

"WAAAAAAAAH!" I screamed as I ran, hearing Luffy tear after me. I screeched to a halt, and ducked behind Nami-baka.

"_All around the Nami-baka, the Monkey chased the Aave, the Monkey thought 'twas all in good fun, POP goes the Aave!_" At POP, I used Luffy as a jumping board to get around him.

"I'M NOT A BAKA!" I heard Nami-baka yell after us as Luffy chased me back to where Zoro was standing. I screamed when I saw Zoro smirk, and tried to dodge, but Zoro was too quick, and scooped me up until I was screaming and wiggling to get away from him, but with a large smile on my face. I doubled my efforts when I saw Luffy get nearer with an almost identical smile to the one that had been on Zoro's face a few seconds prior. To no avail.

"TAG!" Luffy shouted, poking my cheek. I did a raspberry *ppphhhhttthhh* as Zoro let go of me. I then turned around and attempted to tag him, and was still trying to when three familiar voices called out to us.

"Hey! No fair getting a jumpstart on games!" I looked over from trying to tag Zoro to see Onion, Carrot, and Pepper standing a little farther up the road with their arms crossed. I ran up to them and was about to tag Onion, when I saw someone familiar up the road.

"Ah! Pinocchio's back." I said, pointing past them.

"You aren't fooling _us_." Carrot said.

"Yeah, we're onto your devilish tricks!"

"You're _it_, why should we believe you?!" I rolled my eyes at them and ran past them to tag Pinocchio.

"You're it!" I sang, and then paused. There was a familiar smell in the air. Blood. And Tears. I looked at his arm, which he had hidden behind his back. I looked up. He quickly wiped his eyes to get rid of the evidence. I frowned. Had the villagers responded violently to him telling the truth?

"HEY! SHE WAS RIGHT!"

"HEY CAPTAIN!" There was a pause as Usopp held up his other (not bloody) arm and waved at the three, smiling like nothing was wrong.

"Hey, you guys!" He said, and then looked closer at the group. His eyes widened.

"YOU'RE ALIVE?!" He shouted, staring at Luffy, bug eyed. His expression would have been funny had I not seen his arm and the tears.

"Alive?" asked Luffy, clueless. "Yeah, I must've dozed off."

"He took a long nap." Pepper calmly said, and then shouted, "CAPTAIN, WE'VE HEARD WHAT'S GOING ON! WE'VE GOT TO HURRY AND WARN EVERYONE ABOUT THE PIRATES!"

"…warn everyone…" Usopp was trembling slightly. "HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" he suddenly burst out, so suddenly that I jumped backwards away from him. When I looked up at his face, it was the same one that had been conversing with us in the restaurant, though a little bit more strained.

"I just made it all up, as usual!" He said cheerfully. "Got so mad at that Butler, I made up a lie about him being a pirate!" I was almost inclined to believe him, but I knew that _Luffy_ wouldn't lie, so I just frowned, but said nothing. If he wanted to lie to his friends, it was his own fault when they found out the truth. Hiding the truth never helped anyone.

"WHAT? IT'S A LIE?!" shouted Pepper, looking slightly outraged.

"Shucks, I thought something exciting was going to happen!" moaned Carrot, looking at the sky.

"The captain even fooled that Strawhat guy!" Onion added, glaring at Luffy.

"Huh?" said Luffy, looking slightly confused as to why Onion was glaring at him.

"I can't believe the Captain would do that." Carrot said.

"Yeah, me neither." Pepper agreed.

"Or me." Onion said, and then added, "I don't like that butler…but I never thought the Captain would lie to hurt someone."

"Let's go home."

"Yeah, it's dinner time."

"I wonder what we're having…" The three of them walked away. There was silence.

"Your nose grows." I said, breaking said silence. "At least ten feet." Usopp looked at my (somewhat) serious face before walking away. We watched him walk away, and then Nami-baka, Zoro, and I looked to Luffy. He said nothing, but picked me up and started walking in the direction Usopp had gone.

"Are we going to get an answer out of _mia mensoganto_?"* I asked him. Luffy didn't ask what that meant, but nodded instead. I took that as both a 'yes, we're going to get the truth out of him', and 'yes, I know what that language is'. I nodded, happy that we were actually going to do something instead of sitting around and eating food. (Well, they ate while I sat and stared at the food, wishing to be alive again.)

The moon was up when we finally found him sitting on a random rock on the beach, his elbows on his knees and his head in his hands. I wriggled out of Luffy's grasp and dropped to the ground, imagining a roll of gauze as I walked over to Usopp. "Poof" "Pop" Usopp looked up at the sound of my voice, and tried to pull his arm away, but my grip on his arm and my glare made him leave it in my care. The others watched in silence as I applied the bandage with swift, practiced movements.

"It's 'cause I'm a liar." Usopp suddenly said. I finished applying the last of the bandage, and stepped back to join the others.

"No one'll believe me! I should've known." He went on.

"But the facts are still the facts…" Zoro said. "Pirates really _are_ coming, aren't they?"

"They're coming, all right." Usopp said, his face determined, and his voice glum. "But no one will believe me! They all think tomorrow will be just another peaceful day…" There was a pause. "SO IT'S UP TO ME TO MEET THOSE PIRATES AND FIGHT THEM OF!" Usopp suddenly shouted, rocketing to his feet.

"THEN I'LL HAVE A _REAL_ TALL TALE TO TELL! I MAY BE A LIAR…BUT _THIS_ TIME MY TALE WILL COME TRUE!"

***My liar**

**Well, I told you it'd be short…sorry. I really am, but this is the best I could do before I felt the urge to throw the computer against a wall in frustration…well, see ya! I'll have the next chappie out soon!**


	14. Chapter 14

**Ureshiitamago: …*ahem***

**Aave: be warned, ureshiitamago, whatever you say to excuse ****_yourself_**** may or may not give me the excuse to sic Gwaine on you. *simmers with anger***

**Ureshiitamago: Ah!...um…*ahem…sorry about that one month…two month? Hiatus, guys. I really got kicked in the butt by a combo attack of school and writers block-**

**Aave: though you seemed to have no trouble writing those essays. **

**Ureshiitamago: Whatever! What I mean to say is, thank you all for your continued support of this fanfic, and, like promised, I'm back! (Also, in the first chappie, I said something about Aave having a devil's fruit. That was wrong, ignore that please. *bows* I was thinking of a different OC, and I believe I wrote it…late…early…) **

**Forewarning: This summer, I am jam packed with things that might take me off the radar (again), so the updates will be long, but spotted. **

**Aave: …OK! XD BACK TO ENERGY!**

**Ureshiitamago: I forgot how liberating it is to write your character, Aave. **

**Aave: YOOOUUUU'REE Welcome!**

**Ureshiitamago: OK! I'll do the thankies this time! Long list XD.**

**We would like to thank Scrap Metal Skeleton, ADDBaby, pokemonking0924, nami988, secretdewdrop, PokemonNarutoLover, Volpiko, Shano1321, RyAnneCorra, nightstar261, yukicarr, pettysylph, Choppertheracoondog, hinata95, Assatte, onepieceoffreedom, hiraikoneko, Blahblahcat, .140, xXDeathBunnyXx2, TreacherousDeer, spacetimeenigma, Adam95F, alexc123, Picu, CallmeEevee, chaosrin, and ComicGeek for following/favoriting!**

**A special thanks to; ADDBaby, Cyannel, QuirkyKit, Rina Dragonfly, Varus the Shadow Sage, EVA-Saiyajin (thank you for your input, I will try to make it less third wheely), and chaosrin for reviewing! Cookies for all of you! (::) (::) **

**Aave: Onto the chappie! With a disclaimer, ureshiitamago doesn't own One Piece!**

_ "__But the facts are still the facts…" Zoro said. "Pirates really are coming, aren't they?" _

_ "__They're coming, all right." Usopp said, his face determined, and his voice glum. "But no one will believe me! They all think tomorrow will be just another peaceful day…" There was a pause. "SO IT'S UP TO ME TO MEET THOSE PIRATES AND FIGHT THEM OF!" Usopp suddenly shouted, rocketing to his feet._

_ "__THEN I'LL HAVE A REAL TALL TALE TO TELL! I MAY BE A LIAR…BUT THIS TIME MY TALE WILL COME TRUE!"_

**Chapter 14: Ghosting around**

_Mia mensoganto_ sat back down on his rock, and held his injured arm out, clenching his fist. He looked very intense, and for a moment, I was reminded of Hoshi-chan's cook, Mr. Don. I shook my head slightly, and refocused on the now.

"They can shoot me in the arm," Usopp was saying, "and they can chase me with brooms, but this village is my home. **I love this village! I've got to protect my neighbors!**" I unconsciously gripped my right hand glove with my left hand. Usopp was now crying. "There's not much time to plan…" he choked out, his voice muffled by his hands, "but I refuse to let anyone get murdered." My heart (though it was dead) went out to his predicament, and my resolve to help him solidified. There was a small 'woof', and Gwaine alighted on my shoulder. I grinned at him, and looked over at Zoro, who was speaking.

"You've got a noble heart! You sent your crew away so you could face the danger alone." He was grinning at the prospect of an oncoming fight. Luffy warmed up his arm with a stretch.

"Well, then. We're going to help you."

"Yay! We're helping Pinocchio!" I shouted, throwing my hands up in the air and jumping up and down with joy.

"It's not a game!" Snapped Nami-baka. "But I'm telling you now," she said to Usopp, making a money sign with her fingers, "The treasure's all mine!"

"Always thinking about money, huh. Booooring!" I sang, and then giggled and hid behind Zoro when she turned to me. "A demon appeared!" I said, pointing at her. "A demon!"

"Huh?...You guys," Usopp looked at us. "…you guys are willing to fight beside me?...Why?!" He looked absolutely perplexed. Gwaine woof/tweeted in my ear.

"Yes, I agree." I whispered back.

"You're hopelessly outnumbered, right?" Luffy said, still warming up his arm to fight.

"You look pretty scared." Zoro remarked as I pulled myself onto his back and hung there. Usopp stood up suddenly and started shouting, causing me to squeak in surprise and choke Zoro.

"ME? SCARED? HA! TH-THAT'S A L-LAUGH! OUTNUMBERED OR NOT, I'LL BE F-FINE! I'm captain Usopp, brave warrior of the sea!"

"Hey, can I sing? His knees are a good metronome." I said, pointing to his knees, which were knocking together with almost impeccable timing.

"Not now." Zoro said. I pouted and pulled on his ear in revenge, and then rested my chin on his shoulder. Usopp looked down at his legs when I pointed them out, and started cursing and hitting them.

"**What are you looking at?!**" Usopp demanded, his teeth turning into shark teeth and his eyes bugging out at us. "**I'm going up against Captain Kuro's pirates! Of course I'm scared! So what?! I don't want your pity! You guys can stop laughing! Leave!**" _Wow, that escalated quickly…_I thought, a sweatdrop running down my head. On the other hand though, I was impressed that although he was scared, he was willing to die for his neighbors who had shot him in the arm. Zoro gave voice to my opinion.

"We're not laughing at you." Zoro said. "We're impressed. That's why we're going to help you."

"Who'd risk their life out of pity?" Luffy asked.

"That would be stupid." I agreed. Usopp started crying again.

"Y-you guys!"

**Time skip! ('cause I'm a lazy girl! :P)**

A little while later, we were discussing where the pirates were going to be coming from. (To be more precise, _they_ were discussing, and I had changed my perch from Zoro's back to Luffy's in an attempt to stay awake.)

My brain felt heavy and fuzzy as the night wore on, and I could barely concentrate on what everyone was saying. Regardless, I was able to make out a few words here and there. Something about putting oil on the slope that we were on so that the pirates would fall down as they tried to climb up. Suddenly, I was prodded awake by Usopp. I rubbed my eyes and peered at him.

"What can you do?" He asked me. I stared at him for a moment, my human (for now) brain working on deciphering what he was saying.

"…I freeze." I muttered, and then rested my head on Luffy's shoulder again. My brain felt like it was spiraling into the darkness.

"THAT DOESN'T TELL ME ANYTHING!" Usopp shouted. I grumbled and pulled my hat farther down my head. I fell down the spiral and into darkness.

I floated there, looking around my head. There were the memories of Hoshi-chan and her crew, there the memories of Roger and Rayleigh. The big area over in that direction were the memories of my friends and family before I died. The space in between those memories and the memories of Roger and Rayleigh were the memories of the time I spent alone, with only Queen Margareta of Ifnargal and Fairy Queen (then Princess) for company.

Turning to face the opposite direction, I saw the new memories I was making, lined up neatly in a row. Meeting Coby, my two years with him, meeting Luffy, going off with him to be a pirate, but refusing to join his crew, choosing instead to haunt his ship. Meeting Zoro, the disappointment I felt when I realized that he didn't have three arms. Meeting Nami-baka, and feeling the mistrust that had dimmed the last few days. Shrub man, Gwaine.

I floated over to those memories and gazed at the memory of me playing tag with Zoro and Luffy. Had that happened just this morning? I smiled, and flipped through more memories. None of them had even a whiff of depression.

"Maybe you should join their crew." Fairy Queen said, flying up to me. I turned to her.

"So, you don't think that Luffy's going to end up like Hoshi-chan?" I asked, looking over at the memory of Hoshi-chan taking the crossbow arrows for me.

"We cannot guarantee it, but we don't think so." Queen Margareta said from my other side. I glanced at her, and then at the memory of trying to steal Luffy's hat (for fun) in my hands. I looked back over at Hoshi-chan's area, remembering the first time I had met her.

_Memory!_

_It had been three years (?) since Roger and Rayleigh had left the island and had given me the pocket watch. Two years since I realized the island wasn't going to let me go after them any time soon, and one year since I heard anything from the outside world. I was lying on my back in the clearing, staring up at the sky, wondering what else there was for me to do. No other ghosts had come by recently, and my excursions with Margareta and Fairy Queen were growing farther and farther apart with each passing day. _

_I stared blankly up at the clouds, trying to find shapes by myself._

_ "__Tortoise. Sheep. Lion…strawhat." I sniffed mightily on the last one. "I miss you guys!" I called into the sky, crying ghost tears. _

_ "__Now, now. It's not becoming for a young girl like yourself to be crying! Not when there's a magician such as myself here to cheer you up!" A cheerful voice called from the woods. I picked up my head and looked over at where the voice was coming from. A tall lady was standing just inside the trees, leaning on a cane. Everything about her seemed to be halvsies. Half of her hair was brown, half was blue. One of her eyes was brown, the other blue. Her clothes were the same way, so it appeared as though half of her was brown, and the other half was blue. The only thing that seemed out of the ordinary on her was her top hat, perched precariously on her head. It was also brown and blue, but it was patchworked, so the brown and blue was mixed together. _

_ "__Who are you?" I called to her. If at all possible, her smirk/grin became bigger. _

_ "__My name is Hoshi-chan! You?" _

_ "__Aave." _

_ "__I'll call you Aave-yuuyuu!"_

_ "__What does that mean?"_

_ "__Hey! You wanna see a magic trick?" _

_ "__Sure!" _

_ "__It's called the disappearing coin!"_

_ "__Whoa! Where'd it go?!" _

_ "__It's in…your ear!"_

_ "__WOOOOOW! Another! Another!"_

_ "__Ok! Here's the floating ball trick!"_

_ "__Oh my gosh! It's really floating! That's so cool!"_

_The day passed by so fast, and I was disappointed when she said that she had to go back to her ship for the night. _

_ "__Where are you going?"_

_ "__Back to my ship!"_

_ "__Are you a captain?"_

_ "__Yes, but I don't want to be…"_

_ "__Why?"_

_ "__I'm a good time girl, not a captain. The old captain died from battle wounds. So, as first mate, I was promoted. I'm the new-ish captain of the Sparrow pirates!"_

_ "__You're a pirate!?"_

_ "__Yes…is it a problem?" _

_ "__NO! I've always wanted to be a pirate." I fiddled with Roger's pocket watch. _

_ "__Then why don't you come with us?"_

_ "…"_

_ "__You can't, huh."_

_ "__No."_

_ "__Then we'll wait until you can."_

_ "__Really?"_

_ "__Really."_

_ "__Promise?"_

_ "__I promise, _mia etulo._"_

_ "__What does _mia etulo_ mean?"_

_ "__I'll tell you later! See you tomorrow, Aave-yuuyuu!"_

_We did meet the next day, and she showed me all kinds of magic tricks. I even learned a few. We met every day, for weeks and weeks. Her crew met me too, and we all got along splendidly. Except for one. Kebukai Saru, a big, muscular man with frizzy brown hair, a bushy black beard, and a hatred of ghosts. How did I know that? Well, he had threatened me with his crossbow arrows before, that's how. _

_I didn't really pay attention to any of the threats he hurled in my direction, the "I'm going to send you to where you belong, the afterlife.", or the "Hey, Hoshi-senchou. You know I'm a ghost hunter, right? So why do you want a ghost on the crew?" I just thought him a bully and didn't want anything to do with him. Unfortunately, I didn't get to choose that. _

_End memory_

I shook my head to clear it, my resolve hardening.

"No, I'm not going to join yet." I said. Margareta and Fairy Queen's heads whipped around to exchange a look.

"Don't you want to think about it some more?" Margareta asked me gently.

"No."

"Bu-"

"No." It was too real, the fear that Luffy might end up like Hoshi-chan because of me. It was a stupid fear, that I knew, but it was a horrible feeling non-the-less. Hoshi-chan died because someone in her crew decided that they needed to send me off to the other side. Not just that, but they _defied_ _their captain to do it_. I knew it wasn't logical, wasn't ethical, to think that way, but I was a freakin' _kid_! What did they expect? For me to get over seeing one of my best friends _die_ for me? No. I would wait.

"I'll continue to haunt his ship. Then maybe later," _After I come to terms with the reason for Hoshi-chan's death_ "I'll see about actually joining his crew." _Once I'm certain that he won't die because of me._ Margareta and Fairy Queen sighed, but reluctantly vanished when I felt myself being prodded awake.

"Oooi! Wake up, Aave-chan. It's almost daylight. Did you know that you're half transparent?" It was Nami-baka, poking me awake while I was still on Luffy's back. I yawned in her face to spite her, and rubbed my eyes tiredly as I looked around. The ground sloping down to the water looked like it was covered in some kind of shiny goop.

"What's that?" I asked.

"It's oil." Usopp replied. "Now here's the plan: we attack 'em while they're slipping and sliding. No matter what happens, we hold this pass."

"Isn't there another pass?" I asked. Well, _tried_ to ask. It came out more like. "Mmmphh pper nnnmm ppmmph?" My voice was muffled by Luffy's shoulder, and, try as I might, I couldn't find the energy to move my head. Perhaps it was because I was becoming a ghost again? Luffy plopped down onto the ground and began playing with the oil.

"I have no idea what you're saying." Nami-baka said to me. "But I just hope we don't end up slipping and sliding ourselves. It'd be pretty dumb to get caught in our own trap."

"You sure did come up with a slick plan!" Luffy punned with a laugh. I giggled, amused by the pun. It really was punny.

"NATURALLY!" shouted Usopp, crossing his arms to look epic. "WHEN IT COMES TO DARING IDEAS AND THIS SLINGSHOT—I HAVE ABSOLUTE CONFIDENCE!" Luffy stood back up as the sun peeked over the horizon. I picked my hand up from my side and looked at it. Transparent.

"It's dawn." Zoro remarked. "Here they come." I tugged on Luffy's hair.

"Could you let me down?"

"Sure." I just touched the ground when I floated off of it. So it didn't last 24 hours this time. I started to juggle as we waited, and then dropped them when I felt a surge of spiritual energy to the north.

"Where are they?" Luffy asked, kicking a rock. "It's already dawn."

"Maybe they overslept?" suggested Zoro.

"_Mon Kapitano!_" I called to Luffy. "Spiritual activity to the north, sir!" I came to attention and saluted.

"I think I can hear someone yelling 'yaaahr' to the north of us, too…" Nami-baka said, cupping a hand around her left ear.

"NORTH!?" Usopp shouted with a gulp. I flew up to the treetops, and peered in the direction of where we had landed our boats, and saw a mid-sized galleon, with a cat figure head. I reported what I had seen to Luffy and the others.

"YOU MEAN WE'RE ON THE WRONG BEACH?!" Luffy shouted up at me.

"WHOOPS-A-BUTTERCUP! YES WE ARE!" I shouted back. I descended faster than normal, and looked at the four of them.

"…pirates had their secret meeting here!" Usopp was saying. "I just assumed…"

"WE'VE GOTTA GET TO THEM BEFORE THEY CAN ATTACK THE VILLAGE!" Luffy shouted. "WHICH WAY SHOULD WE GO?"

"IF WE RUN STRAIGHT NORTH, WE SHOULD BE THERE IN ABOUT THREE MINUTES!" Usopp shouted back, clenching his fist. "THERE'S ANOTHER PASS THERE ALMOST EXACTLY LIKE THIS ONE. WE CAN STOP THEM THERE!" I looked over at the oil covering the ground, 'poof', 'pop'. A small can appeared in my hand, and I scooped up a can-full of oil. _Might come in handy_…I thought. In the meantime, Nami-baka chose a really weird thing to panic about.

"**OH NO!**" she shouted. "**OUR SHIPS ARE AT THE NORTH BEACH! THEY'LL TAKE OUR TREASURE!**" Luffy blasted away from us.

"I'LL BE THERE IN TWENTY SECONDS!" he shouted.

"DARN!" Usopp shouted, facing the hill covered in oil. "MY GREAT OIL-SLICK PLAN WAS FOR NOTHING!" I rushed off after Luffy, with Usopp following close behind.

I kept pace with Usopp, swinging my can full of oil and thinking of ways to use it.

"I swear I won't let them get to the village!" Usopp gasped from behind me. "But that guy sure is fast! I can't even see him!"

"Ne, Usopp?"

"Hmm?"

"Why is a Raven like a writing desk?"

"WHY ARE YOU ASKING THAT _NOW_?"

"I was just wondering…"

"WONDER LATER!" He shouted as he rained lead pellets on the enemy pirates. There were cries of indignation from the pirates. 'Poof', 'pop'. A small brush appeared in my hand, and I made myself invisible. I just had to stop them from getting up the hill, right? I flew between pirates, applying a small layer of oil to the bottoms of their shoes while they ran, making them slip and fall as they attempted the climb. There were about thirty pirates total, including the hypnotist.

"Hmph, so it's you…you're the little barnacle that overheard our plan. What's the big idea?" I looked over at the hypnotist, and scowled.

"THIS IS YOUR FINAL WARNING! LEAVE NOW, WHILE YOU STILL CAN! I HAVE 10 MILLION FIGHTING MEN READY TO CRUSH YOU DOGS!" Usopp shouted. "AND A HORD OF GHOSTS!"

"That's the worst lie I've heard all morning." I overheard one of the enemy say. Then, I got a devilish idea, and grinned.

"What makes you think it's a lie?" I whispered in the man's ear. He looked to his neighbor.

"Did you say something?" he asked.

"No, I didn't."

"Don't lie."

"I didn't."

"DAMN YOU! I TOLD YOU NOT TO LIE!"

"BUT I DIDN'T!"

"LIAR!"

"AAAUUGH!" I silently cheered as they started fighting each other.

"TEN MILLION? GHOSTS? REALLY?" I hear a shout from behind me. It was the hypnotist.

"C'MON CAPTAIN! HE BE LYING!"

"That isn't proper grammar." I said, making sure that I said it from where there were no pirates. Everyone looked in my direction, and I turned visible for a span of a second, making sure to look bloody and have a scary face on.

"IIIIIYYAAAAA!" shouted the hypnotist.

"I-it's just an i-i-illusion!" said another pirate, not looking very confident while he was saying it.

"THEY SAW THROUGH THE 10 MILLION MEN!" Usopp cried. _Baka_…I thought with a sweatdrop.

"But not the ghosts? Really? Does he think we're _that_ stupid?" a pirate asked.

"But he was right about us ghosts." I whispered in that one's ear. He was standing next to the cliff, and when he looked over, no one was standing there. He paled three shades before fainting.

"Why, you!" the hypnotist said. "You'll pay for your deceit." Before he could attack, however, a voice interrupted him. I cursed and flew over to our boats.

"CAPTAIN JANGO! IT'S AMAZING!"

"WHAT IS IT? TROUBLE?"

"NOT TROUBLE, TREASURE!" I flew past the man doing the yelling and halted in front of our boats.

"We found treasure on those suspicious ships. It's a king's ransom! Maybe four or five million beri's!" I gaped at the sight of pirates carrying Nami-baka's treasure off of the boat. _Even though I'm dead, she's going to kill me…_

"WHAT?!" Django the hypnotist shouted in surprise.

"THAT'S _MY_ TREASURE!" I heard Usopp shout. Suddenly, I was afraid for his life. "BUT I'LL LET YOU HAVE IT ALL!"

"HUH? YOU'RE GOING TO LET US HAVE THE TREASURE?" The pirates sounded astounded. _He is definitely going to die…_

"YES, I WILL! I'LL GIVE YOU THAT TREASURE, IF YOU LEAVE IMMEDIATELY!" Usopp shouted. I shook my head. I was a _kid_, and even _I_ wasn't stupid enough to try to bribe pirates with Nami-baka's money. It wasn't the bribing pirates part, it was the _Nami-baka's money_ part.

"WHAT?! HE'S TRYING TO PAY US OFF?" one of the pirates shouted.

"That scum." Another said. I sweatdropped. Weren't they pirates?

"…Are you daft?" Django asked Usopp. "Of course we'll take the treasure. But why should we leave?"

"Point." I said aloud.

"Who said that?"

"Nobody."

"Oh." He turned back to Usopp. "Now, when I say 'one, two, Django', you'll step aside." Django said, holding up his hypnotist gadget.

"One…"

"DON'T LOOK, USOPP!" I shouted. But the _idiota_ kept his eyes on the circle.

"Two…"

"DJA-" Django was cut off by Nami-baka hitting Usopp on the head with her staff.

"DON'T SAY FOOLISH THINGS, BUSTER!" I took the time to fly through a few enemies. They collapsed from the cold.

"WHO'S THAT WOMAN?"

"CAPTAIN, THIS IS NO TIME FOR PARLOR TRICKS!"

"THE TREASURE ON THAT SHIP IS MINE!" Nami-baka shouted. "AND I'M NOT GIVING UP ONE BERI OF IT! HANG ONTO IT FOR ME, BECAUSE I'M COMING FOR IT!" She and Usopp had a small spat, and then she turned and pointed at Django.

"I forgot to tell you, but don't look at that guy's ring when he starts counting. He's a hypnotist!"

***Gasp!* dun dun dun duuuuun! How was that for a first day back? XD I think I did pretty well, though Aave might not seem as cheerful in this chappie. Oh well! See you next time!**


	15. Chapter 15

**Ureshiitamago: Oh my Gods. I'm sooooo sorry guys! School was horrible to me, and decided that I shouldn't have any free time to the point where it drove me to the library where I broke down in tears! (I love our librarian, special call out to her for helping me with that little mental breakdown.) But I'm back now! And though the updates are going to be patchy this summer (lots of stuff to do), I'll update with big chappies! Thank you guys so much for waiting!**

**Aave: She's also redone the first chapter, to fix the miscommunication on her part that I have a Devils Fruit. I don't, but there is a legitimate reason why she got mixed up about that. XD**

**Ureshiitamago: You're mean.**

**Aave: Yup! Bearetta says hi!**

**Ureshiitamago: Hello, Bearetta. Here's our thankies!**

**We would like to thank; Littledreamersworld, Miss Okami Tsuki, Katerina-Walker, Amandla123, OrionRedde, Epic0Zebras, Emerald1999, non of ur business sorry, FluffyPizzaPie, Blooddance, waterflygirl, Violet Lilypuff, Wizard Alchemist, gincitri, Ayumi1924, Chocogummies, OreoNinja, gOthiCkUrOcHo69, Akahana Yukiko, 707cloud, InsanityPushedMeOffTheEdge for following/favoriting!**

**A special thanks to ADDBaby, Varus the Shadow Sage, Mr. 0-San, alexc123, and ComicGeek for reviewing! **

**Aave: Onwards!**

_ "__THE TREASURE ON THAT SHIP IS MINE!" Nami-baka shouted. "AND I'M NOT GIVING UP ONE BERI OF IT! HANG ONTO IT FOR ME, BECAUSE I'M COMING FOR IT!" She and Usopp had a small spat, and then she turned and pointed at Django._

_ "__I forgot to tell you, but don't look at that guy's ring when he starts counting. He's a hypnotist!"_

**Chapter 15: Ghostly…did I do this chapter name already?**

I flew back up to where Nami-baka and Usopp/Pinocchio were standing, and turned visible for their eyes only.

"Hey Aave, where's Luffy? He went charging off before any of us." I shrugged.

"Luffy doesn't know where North is, Nami. He'll be here soon though."

"You're kidding."

"Not this time, nope." I held up my can of oil.

"What do you want me to do with the rest of this?"

"Figure something out." Nami-baka said.

"Okay!" Usopp exclaimed. "Go attack them! I'll back you two up!"

"Okay!" I cheered.

"_NOT _OKAY!" Nami-baka shouted. I deflated. "WHY ME? WHAT CAN I DO AGAINST AN ARMY OF PIRATES? I'M ONLY A GIRL!"

"What am I, chopped liver?" I grumbled.

"You're a ghost, sweetie," said Nami-baka, "you can't die again."

"YOU DON'T EXPECT _ME_ TO DO IT, JUST 'CAUSE I'M A MAN? LOOK HOW SCARED I AM! MY LEGS ARE SHAKING!" I looked at his legs, they were indeed shaking. _Castanets_. I thought with a giggle. "SEE?!" The two of them then began to bicker over who was more scared. I thought that the fight was irrelevant, and I thought I knew what I could do with the rest of the oil. I flew down to their ship as they charged Usopp and Nami-baka again, and started applying. Now, their figurehead had a moustache, and the word BAKA written across its forehead. I giggled and flew back up the slope, flying through pirates who had gotten past the caltrops (which were behind my friends as well, what were they thinking?) and Usopp's slingshot attacks. Usopp's head was a little bloody from one pirate who had gotten past me, but we were holding on.

Until he was hit on the head again. I felt shock go through me at that oversight as Usopp hit the ground.

"Hmph." The pirate said as he walked past the fallen body of Usopp. "Did you really think you could stop the fiercest pirates on the seas?"

"Let's go, me hearties!" Another shouted. "Captain Kuro awaits us!"

"AYE!" I flew through a few pirates as Usopp bravely tried to stop the one who was leading the others to his village.

"ARG! WANT SOME MORE!?" the pirate shouted angrily. "LET GO, CURSE YE!"

"NO! NEVER!" Usopp shouted, gripping even harder on the pirates sash. He was being hit over and over on the head. "I'LL NEVER LET YOU PASS! MY LAST TALL TALE WILL BE A TRUE ONE! THIS WILL BE ANOTHER BORING DAY FOR MY VILLAGE!" Nami-baka intercepted someone who was going to chop him up with a sword by hitting that guy in the head with her staff. I in turn intercepted someone who was going to chop up Nami-baka by flying through the attacker, reducing him to a shivering lump on the ground. Nami-baka caught another attacker's sword on her staff, and then went flying into the cliff-face as the attacker threw her back.

"Nami-baka!" I cried, flying over to her prone form. She looked like she was winded, and I placed an ungloved hand on her head to wake her up. "C'mon, they're gonna kill you two." I said.

"DON'T WASTE YOUR TIME ON THEM!" A voice suddenly shouted from farther down the beach. It was Django. "WE'RE LATE! WE MUST SACK THE VILLAGE! HAVE YOU FORGOTTEN CAPTAIN KURO'S ORDERS? IF WE RUIN HIS PLANS…**HE'LL CUT ALL OUR THROATS! **DO YOU UNDERSTAND THAT, YOU **ADDLED FOOLS?!**"

"NAMI-BAKA! USO-PINOCCHIO!" Usopp and Nami-baka looked at me. "COVER YOUR EARS!" I dropped Bearetta, breathed in deep, and _screamed_.

"**KYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!**"

'_Banshee wail!_' I named it after seeing the effects it had on the pirates, who had fallen back to where they had started, clutching their ears.

"Wow, what was that?" I heard Nami-baka ask.

"Banshee wail." I answered, as if it were obvious. Cue head slap. I giggled, and flew up high to see if I could see our two powerhouses. Ah, there they were. I flew back down just as the pirates started attacking again, only to be blown backwards back down the hill by our two powerhouses.

"Aloha!" I greeted them, smiling and dancing around the two happily.

"Well it's about time." Nami-baka sighed. The pirates had a different opinion about Zoro and Luffy.

"WHAT'S THIS, CAPTAIN DJANGO? YOU NEVER TOLD US WE'D BE FACING DEMONS ON THIS JOB!"

"Not much of a challenge." Zoro muttered. "What _was_ that?"

"How could I know?" Luffy retorted. "I'm in a bad mood."

"NAMI!" Zoro shouted, looking more than a tad bit angry. "YOU MAROONED ME IN THAT MUCK!"

"DARN YOU USOPP!" Luffy shouted, looking to be on the brink of tears, "WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL ME WHICH WAY WAS NORTH?!"

"Told you so!" I said jubilantly, laughing at Nami-baka and pointing at Luffy. "He doesn't know which way's North." I then squeaked as Luffy grabbed me out of the air and started to noogy me.

"That's…" Nami-baka looked perplexed at the thought that there was a human being who didn't know which way was North.

"I didn't realize you guys were so tough…" Usopp trailed off, sitting up from his spot on the ground.

"Yup!" Luffy said as he continued to give me a noogy. I giggled as I tried to wiggle my way out of his grasp.

"What took you two so long?" Nami-baka mocked. "Stop for a manicure?"

"What's a manicure?" I asked, finally out of Luffy's grasp.

"You'll know…later I'll tell you." Nami-baka said. She'd probably been about to say 'you'll know when you're older'.

"**YOU LEFT ME STRANDED IN THAT QUAGMIRE!**" Zoro yelled. I flew around him. His back was covered in oil.

"How many times did you slip?" I asked curiously.

"None of your business." His voice sounded a little strained.

"That many, eh?" I grinned evilly.

"…shut up." Aave-1, Zoro-0.

"That was an accident." Nami-baka said, "Besides, it was better that one of us got free than for both of us to be stuck."

"THEN _YOU_ SHOULD HAVE STAYED STUCK!" Zoro shouted back.

"HOW WAS I TO KNOW WHICH WAY WAS NORTH AND WHICH WAY WASN'T NORTH?" Luffy shouted at Usopp.

"You ran off like you knew where you were going!" Usopp retorted.

"I ONLY HAD A ROUGH IDEA!" Luffy exclaimed. "VERY ROUGH!"

"Let's play I Spy! I'll go first!" I said. "I spy…something moving!"

"The sea." Luffy guessed.

"Mmm, nope."

"The clouds."

"Mm mm, nope."

"Zoro."

"Close."

"Nami"

"Close."

"Usopp."

"Close."

"Me."

"Close."

"You."

"Nope."

"The people down there."

"Correct!"

"Hey, they're still alive! They've got real spunk."

"Hey, the hypno-guy is taking out his hypno thingy." I said, pointing down at Django, who had his back almost turned to us, and was waving the hypno-thing in front of his crew.

"What are they doing?" Luffy asked.

"I don't know." Usopp said.

"Hypnotism." Nami-baka answered, analyzing the situation. "He's trying to make them believe that they're getting stronger! What a load of bilgewater!"

"ONE!" I grimaced and closed my eyes, hiding behind Luffy.

"TWO!" I could feel the tension in the air.

"**DJANGO!**" Miraculously, I didn't feel as though I was hypnotized. _Well, that's a relief._ I thought as I peeked around Luffy's shoulder to stare at the suddenly extremely loud, extremely muscular pirate group below us.

"NO WAY!" Nami-baka shouted. "THEY WERE EXHAUSTED A MOMENT AGO!" I watched in slight awe as one pirate, for no apparent reason except to show off, punched the corner of a cliff so hard that the corner slid off of the cliff.

"What the heck?" Zoro exclaimed. "He broke the cliff! What power!"

"This is why you should have three arms." I said blandly.

"…Where did _that _come from?"

"Heehee!"

"INCREDIBLE!" Nami-baka shouted, shaking her head and slowly backing up. "HIS HYPNOSIS REALLY WORKED!"

"ONE OF THEM CAN DEMOLISH A CLIFF, AND THERE'S A WHOLE HORD OF THEM!" Usopp shouted.

"NOW MARCH!" Django shouted. (There are a lot of people shouting…) "AND IF ANYONE TRIES TO STOP YOU, DESTROY THEM!"

"Can't destroy a ghost…" I muttered. "Unless, of course, you happen to have a priest or ghost hunter with you…but they don't normally join pirate crews." I looked at my hand. If I could make myself real, and change my clothing at will, could I also change my shape? I focused on my hand, and changed it into a spatula. "poof." "pop." There, a shiny spatula. Could I also make more than one thing that wasn't connected? I decided to wait a bit before trying that out.

"AAARRRGH!" The pirates started running up the hill at us.

"You two wait at the top of the hill." Zoro ordered Nami-baka and Usopp. "Aave…" He trailed off when I crossed my arms, raised an eyebrow at him, and tapped my foot on the air. "don't do anything yet. Luffy and I will deal with…Luffy?"

"Luffy?!" Zoro asked again when Luffy didn't acknowledge him.

"**YAAAAARR…!**" Luffy shouted, eyes white and arms raised into the air.

"HE HYPNOTIZED YOU TOO!?" everyone shouted.

"Luffy, SMASH!" I shouted, pointing at the oncoming pirate horde. Luffy dashed at the pirates, and winded back for a punch.

"Gomu gomu no…**GATLING GUN!**" He shouted as he started punching so fast that it appeared as though there were many fists instead of just two.

"WOOHOO! GO LUFFY!" I shouted as Luffy managed to drive all of the supercharged cat pirates back down the hill. When his attack was over, he stood still for a moment, and then charged at the pirates again, causing them to first flee, and then fall over as he ran past them to their ship. He clamped onto the stempost, and in a feat of superhuman strength, ripped it off of the ship. I screamed in delight, and clapped my hands.

"Is that a moustache on the cat?"

"Yup."

"…does it say baka on its forehead?"

"Yup."

"Did you do that?"

"Yup."

"…"

"HE'LL SMASH US LIKE ROACHES!" The pirates were shouting as they fled.

"CAPTAIN! DO SOMETHING ABOUT THAT GRAFFITI ON OUR FIGUREHEAD!" another shouted, also running away from Luffy.

"On 'one, two, Django', you'll fall asleep!" Django said, readying his hypno thingie.

"One!"

"TWO!"

"**DJANGO!**" Luffy fell, the stempost and figurehead landing on top of him. He did, however, manage to take out more than half of the crew when the stempost and figurehead hit the ground.

"Luffy wiped out most of them." Nami-baka said happily.

"But now he's smashed under the stempost!" Usopp said, looking a little confused at our lack of concern over Luffy's wellbeing.

"Don't worry about him, he'll be fine." Zoro said, tapping the dull part of his unsheathed sword on his shoulder. "Just see to your own wounds." Nami-baka and I looked over at the ship when we heard some voices.

"HEY BUTCHIE! GET OVER HERE! THE BOW'S BROKEN!"

"THE BOW? HOW DID THAT HAPPEN?"

"Hey…it's…"

"The Meowban brothers! The ship guards!" We were, quite understandably, confused as to what in the blue blazes the pirates were talking about.

"They've banned meowing?" I asked, a little confused as to _why_ someone would even _think_ of banning meowing.

"I think that's their _name_, Aave." Nami-baka corrected me. I sighed in relief.

"Sounds like they've got more men on their ship." Zoro stated.

"Aye, boy." Django said, having heard our conversation. "_They_ were still on the ship."

"…who's on the ship?" Zoro asked, readying his sword.

"Well, duh," I said, "the guys who banned meowing."

"...I highly doubt that." Zoro said.

"Heh heh heh. You guys are dead meat now." A downed pirate chuckled.

"I'm already dead though?" I said, popping into existence. There was some silence.

"YYYEEEEEAAAAAGH!" The pirate screamed.

"**MEOWBAN BROTHERS!**" Django shouted with open arms. "**COME ON DOWN!**" Two figures leapt off of the ship and landed nimbly behind Django.

"Meowban brothers, I need your help." He said.

"That sounds like a game I know…what was it…Frog Detective! The main line is 'frog detective, frog detective, we need you.' Am I right?" I looked at Zoro, who just raised an eyebrow at me. "No? Okay. Ooo, that one looks like a cow!" I said, pointing at the one that was wearing a blanket on his shoulders.

"He does…what _are_ they?" Nami-baka asked.

"Amazing! They jumped from that high deck! Like cats!" Usopp said.

"How could they be like cats if they banned meowing?" I asked, tilting my head to the side.

"They didn't ban meowing." Usopp said.

"Butchie, Siam, we must get up that path." Django said, stabbing a thumb in our direction. "But, as you can see, there's something in our way. Get rid of it."

"I'm a living thing, and you're a living thing…" I said. "Let's hug!...wait…" **A/N: copyright iisuperwomanii**

"W-we can't do that! Can we, Butchie?" the slimmer one said, looking like he was about to pee his pants.

"H-he looks really mean!" the cow looking one added, looking like he had _already_ peed his pants.

"I thought they were some kind of secret weapon!" Usopp exclaimed.

"They're scared to death." Nami-baka said, a sweatdrop sliding down her head.

"We're just the ship guards." The skinnier one said, shrugging and looking a little sheepish.

"Aye!" the cow looking one agreed. "We're not supposed to take part in any fights."

"SIAM!" Django shouted, finally losing his patience with the two of them. "ATTACK THAT SWORDSMAN AT ONCE!"

"HUH? ME?!" The skinnier one shouted, looking shell-shocked.

"GET HIM!"

"ALRIGHT! I'LL GO, I'LL GO…" He started running at Zoro and I like it was his first time attacking something even though he was supposed to be the ship's guard.

"He's starting to cry…"Nami-baka said. "Why's he making someone like that fight?"

"READY OR NOT, HERE I COME!" Siam shouted, "I'LL SCRATCH YOUR EYES OUT!"

"He thinks he can scratch me?" Zoro growled. "I'll cut your fool head off if you don't stop!" I blinked in surprise as the atmosphere around Siam suddenly changed from scared stiff to bloodthirsty.

"Go ahead, if you can…" Siam said in a totally different voice before attacking Zoro. One of his clawed hands slammed against Zoro's unsheathed sword before disengaging. He purred, sending shivers down my spine. That was _not_ how cats purred!

"You underestimated me, didn't you?" He said. "YOU FELL FOR IT! I WAS JUST PRETENDING TO BE A SCAREDY CAT!"

"HE'S NOT REALLY A COWARD?" Usopp shouted. At that point, I noticed that Zoro's swords were strapped to Siam's back. Now was the time to see if I could get the full body transformation down. I closed my eyes, and pictured myself turning into a Katana and flying into Zoro's other hand. When I did blink open my eyes, Zoro was looking a lot bigger, and he was staring at me in confusion.

"_Two swords are better than one, I think."_ I said, my voice sounding a little metallic. He grinned at me.

"Well, make sure not to change back mid-fight." He said.

"_Yessir_" I said.

"HOW DID THAT GET THERE?" Siam shouted.

"_I'm a ghost."_ I answered.

"THAT DOESN'T TELL ME ANYTHING!"

"Three swords would be ideal, but I can try to pull it off with two." Zoro muttered.

"_Let's just kick butt already._"

"Though I do have two swords now, give me back my other swords." Zoro demanded.

"Give them back? Heehee. Isn't two enough?"

"_No."_ I answered for Zoro.

"…before we fight, I'd better…chuck these." Siam said with a cheeky and slightly demented grin, looking at the two swords in his hands. "They'll just slow me down." And he tossed them behind them.

"_That's so rude!"_ I shouted. "_May Bob the Unicorn spear you to a wall!"_

"…What?" Siam looked a little confused, and a little self-satisfied. I knew he wouldn't be in a few minutes, however, for I could feel Zoro's anger and bloodlust radiating from him in a flood.

"Purrrfect!" Siam purred. "Now then…I've lightened me load."

"Swords that don't belong to you should be treated more respectfully!" Zoro shouted as he lunged at Siam, swinging me and his other sword through Siam's middle. Something was off though.

"You dirty…you shouldn't have taken my swords!"

"_Zoro!_" I said as he lunged for his other swords. "_I didn't feel the cut of flesh!_"

"Hey! My shirt!"

"_Zoro! Look out!_"

"Oh well," Siam said as he pinned Zoro to the ground, "I have a cat's waistline you know!"

"_Zoro!_"

"THERE WAS NO STOMACH UNDER HIS SHIRT!" I heard Usopp shout.

"C'MON, BUTCHIE! HAVE A GO!" Siam shouted.

"_Is Butchie the cow?_" I asked innocently. Siam glared at me.

"Butchie is _not_ a cow!"

"_sure looks like it…_"

"CAT STRIKE!" The cow-cat shouted. "CAT-A-PULT…" Zoro's grip on me loosened a bit, so I took the opportunity to whip myself around to slice Siam's arm. The effect was immediate, Siam let go, and Zoro grabbed me again and rolled out of the way.

"**CATASTROPHE!**" Butchie finished as he slammed into the ground, creating a small crater that radiated large cracks in the ground.

"EEEYOW!" Siam shouted, clutching his wounded arm. "He got away!"

"You should have sunk your claws into him, Siam." Butchie said, clearly upset that he wasn't able to smash Zoro's head in.

"My bad, my bad. That sword seems to have a mind of its own, and he had more brute strength in him than I reckoned."

"_I'm a ghost! Of _course_ I have a mind of my own!_" I shouted at the two of them, angry that they were treating me like an inanimate object. Siam ignored me.

"_Zoro, you really should grow a third arm._" I commented, trying to lighten the mood of doom and gloom.

"I don't need a third arm." He said, relaxing slightly, and then getting into position. "I don't fight with two swords as much, but it'll have to do."

Our two enemies ran at us, and we clashed. Zoro's other sword and I were being put through a good workout of blocking strikes from Siam and Butchie's 'claws'.

"PUSSY-WILLOW MARCH!" Siam and Butchie shouted.

"_Wow_," I said. "_Their attack could possibly take down a small…water buffalo._"

"Water buffalo?" Zoro questioned.

"_I tire of saying small horse…_" I said. Zoro snorted as he continued to stave off the attacks.

"EAT **LEAD**, CATS!" I heard Usopp shout.

"_Zoro!_" I shouted as he put himself in the way of the lead bullet. I jerked myself around in his grip and caught a slash that was meant for Zoro's chest.

"WHOSE SIDE ARE YOU ON, USOPP?!" Nami-baka screeched. I didn't hear the rest, as I was suddenly caught up trying to make sure that Zoro didn't die because of a hurt shoulder.

'_Queen Margareta, Fairy Queen, I need your help._' I thought, reaching out to my friends.

'_We're coming._' They responded. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Nami-baka running in the direction of where Zoro's swords had been tossed.

'_Protect Nami-baka_.' I said to them as soon as they arrived. They nodded, and intercepted an attack on her made by Django. Queen Margareta sliced at Django's chest with her rapier, and Fairy Queen pulled on his ears, making him turn his head at the wrong moments. Meanwhile, Nami-baka was ducking his flailing weapons, and made it to the swords. She picked them up, and looked over at us. I grinned, and was about to change back when Butchie and Siam suddenly stopped their attack and looked like they had seen Diablo himself.

"AAAH! OH, UH, SIR…WE'VE HIT A FEW SNAGS!" Django shouted.

"Mew…" Siam trembled.

"C-C-C-CAPTAIN KURO!" An unknown pirate shouted. "H-HE'LL KILL US A-ALL!"

"It's long past dawn, but…you seem to be having trouble following my plan." A silky male voice said from behind Zoro and I. "WHAT IN NEPTUNE'S NAME IS GOING ON?!"

"_STRANGER DANGER!" _I shouted, recognizing Poop jacket's voice.

"Are you telling me that these…_children_…held you up?" Poop jacket asked, spitting the word 'children' out as if it was the worlds' biggest sin. "Is that what the pirates of the **Black Cat** have come to? IS THAT IT, **DJANGO?!**" I noticed Nami-baka sneaking her way past Django again, Zoro's swords in her hands.

"_I'm going now…"_ I whispered to Zoro, who nodded in response. I imagined myself back in my normal form by Usopp's side. When I opened my eyes, I was floating above the ground next to Usopp. "Hey there." I whispered in his ear. Usopp jumped backwards.

"Don't _do_ that!" He whisper-shouted. I giggled, and pointed at the scene in front of us.

"Watch, or we'll miss something." I said. Usopp's head snapped around to look at Captain Poop jacket arguing with his subordinates again. He now had gloves with swords at the tips of the fingers on, and was threatening Siam and Butchie.

"Three years of inaction, have softened my heart." He said, poking Butchie's neck and drawing blood. "You've got five minutes. If everything isn't sorted out by then…**I'll kill every last one of you, with my own hands.**" I frowned at that.

"I DON'T WANNA DIE!" One pirate shouted.

"Five minutes!" Siam and Butchie said, looking at Zoro.

"CRIPES!" Usopp shouted in my ear, "AND TO THINK THAT THIS MONSTER'S BEEN LIVING IN OUR MIDST FOR THREE YEARS!"

"Usopp, I may be a ghost, but my eardrums still hurt when you yell in my ears." I said, clapping my hands over my ears.

"…sorry." He said, sweatdropping.

"FIVE MINUTES?" Django shouted, looking nervous. "WE CAN FINISH THIS IN FIVE MINUTES! NO PROBLEM, WE'LL JUST KILL HIM REAL QUICK! THEN WE CAN CHARGE RIGHT UP THE SLOPE!" I assumed that Django was talking about Zoro, so I motioned to Nami-baka to throw the swords to him. She nodded at me.

"AYE! WE WERE BEATING HIM BEFORE!" Butchie shouted. _No, you weren't…_ I thought with a sweatdrop.

"HE AIN'T SO FEARSOME! HE'LL BE SHARKBAIT IN **FIVE** SECONDS!"

"Sharkbait, oohaha!" I shouted. There was a pause in the tension as everyone looked at me. I shrugged and whistled, looking up at the sky.

"ZORO!" Nami-baka shouted, taking the momentary lapse in attention that my outburst had brought. "YOUR SWORDS!" She chucked them at him.

"WHY YOU!" Zoro shouted, looking mightily peeved, "FIRST YOU TRAMPLE ME, AND THEN YOU THROW MY SWORDS!?"

"What? No thank you?" Nami-baka asked, grinning at him.

"Yes…thanks." Zoro said, grabbing his swords out of the air and unsheathing them in one smooth motion.

"SCRATCH ATTACK!" Siam shouted.

"**HEH HEH! YOU MAY HAVE MORE SWORDS NOW, BUT YOU SKILLS ARE STILL THE SAME!**" Butchie added as the two of them foolishly charged Zoro.

"You don't understand." Zoro said around the hilt in his mouth. "**Wielding** three swords, and following **Santoryu**, are very different things."

"SLASH!" Siam and Butchie shouted, preparing to kill Zoro.

"GO SHARKBAIT!" I shouted, pumping my fist in the air.

"**Tora Gari!**"

"K.O.!" I shouted as Siam and Butchie fell to the ground, defeated.

"*gasp* ONE SWORDSTROKE! HE BEAT THE MEOWBAN BROTHERS!" Zoro pointed one of his swords at Captain Poop jacket.

"**Don't worry,**" he said, "**it won't even take me five minutes to thrash you all.**"

"**Try it.**" Captain Poop jacket said, adjusting his glasses with his palm so he wouldn't be cut by his own blades.

"**Huff huff** TH-THAT BILGE RAT! I'LL…I'LL SMASH YOUR BONES! CAPTAIN! CAPTAIN DJANGO! HYPNOTIZE ME!" I yelped and hid behind Usopp.

"I don't want to be hypnotized!" I said. Usopp sweatdropped.

"How easily do you hypnotize?"

"…"

"That easily, eh?" I shut my eyes and ears, trying not to listen to anything. I stopped when Usopp nudged me.

"What's going on?" I asked.

"Nami's going to try and wake Luffy up." Usopp said, pointing at Nami-baka. She was running full tilt at Luffy's trapped form.

"Everyone else is fighting with serious injuries…and look at _you_!" She slammed her foot down on his head. "WAKE UP!"

"NAMI! HIT THE DECK!" Zoro shouted

"DUCK!" I added.

"THAT'S A CHAKRAM!" Usopp shouted, luckily not in my ear this time. "IT'S NOT JUST FOR HYPNOTIZING PEOPLE!"

"NAMI, YOU CREEP!" I heard Luffy shout. "WHY'D YOU HAVE TO STEP ON MY HEAD?" He stood up and was hit in the back of the head with the chakram of doom. As he fell forward, he stepped forward with one of his feet and yanked the chakram out of his head. I winced, and rubbed the back of my own head.

"Ouch." I said.

"Luffy's back in action!" Zoro said.

"THAT HURT!" Luffy shouted. I pulled Bearetta out of my shirt and held her in my arms, giggling.

**Did anyone catch the references? :) I know there was one from NCIS in there! Sorry it took so long to update this! I have been a bad author! *bows repeatedly* but I'm back now, and major panic has been successfully diverted. The next chappie will be up sooner rather than later. Ciao!**

**P.S. Ya'll may have noticed that the cover changed. I'll be changing it from the new one to the old one (and vice versa) every month. (The new one is by me, I finally figured out how to make my drawing tablet work with this computer.) **


	16. Chapter 16

**Ureshiitamago: Well, we got an anonymous review! Let's answer it!**

**Aave: Yaaay! Let's do this!**

**Ureshiitamago: Guest says; Sharkbait! Great reference…I'm excited for when Aave meets Sanji.**

**Aave: Who's Sanji?**

**Ureshiitamago:…*evil grin* **

**Aave: Should I be worried?**

**Ureshiitamago: No. *whispers to Guest* I can't wait to write that part!**

**Aave: *sweatdrop* **

**Ureshiitamago: Here's another Guest review! Thank you for the chapter title, I was just running out! **

**Aave: Yaaaay! Thanks! XD **

**Ureshiitamago: Here are the thankies!**

**We would like to thank; rgss, Keeperofhounds, LovelyBones98, PandaStyles, pokiemon1, Caigdimo, bloodyhell99, PolarBearPJs, EiniK, jazmin4, hadrianlopez1, archangelofrequiem, kilgaxe, BringOnTheChaos95, FlamingCatDemon13, lonelydream17, RandomPotterFan, White Alchemist Taya, and HunterHD1 for following/favoriting.**

**A special thanks to; two guests, QuirkyKit, The Utterly Fabulous Z, one more guest (here's the chappie!), FlamingCatDemon13, and rgss for reviewing. **

**Aave: And many moooore!**

_ "__NAMI, YOU CREEP!" I heard Luffy shout. "WHY'D YOU HAVE TO STEP ON MY HEAD?" He stood up and was hit in the back of the head with the chakram of doom. As he fell forward, he stepped forward with one of his feet and yanked the chakram out of his head. I winced, and rubbed the back of my own head. _

_ "__Ouch." I said. _

_ "__Luffy's back in action!" Zoro said._

_ "__THAT HURT!" Luffy shouted. I pulled Bearetta out of my shirt and held her in my arms, giggling. _

**Chapter 16: Ghost and Friends VS. The Cat Pirates…Or What's Left of Them…**

"BUCKETS O' BLOOD! NOW WHAT?" A pirate screamed.

"WE GOT LESS THAN FIVE MINUTES LEFT!" Another shouted.

"Then you'll join me on the other side!" I said happily, clapping my hands around Bearetta.

"WE DON'T WANT TO!" They shouted with me. I pouted.

"That's no fun…" I muttered.

"**THAT REALLY HURT!**" Luffy shouted at Nami-baka.

"IT WASN'T ME, LUFFY!" She shouted back, and then slumped onto the ground, exhausted.

"You look tired." Luffy remarked.

"I've done all I can." Nami-baka replied. "I'm leaving the rest to you. After all, this is one fight we've gotta win."

"Nami?"

"There's a lot of treasure on the line!" she explained with a sparkle in her eye.

"Hmph!" Luffy said, plopping his hat back on his head. "That's more like you. Hey, the evil butler is here…"

"Three minutes left…" Captain Poop jacket remarked, looking at his watch, "before I massacre everyone…"

"NO!" The pirates shouted. "EVEN CAPTAIN DJANGO AND BUTCHIE CAN'T STOP THEM IN ONLY THREE MINUTES!" I looked between the pirates, Captain Poop jacket, and Bearetta, thinking hard.

"BUTCHIE!" Captain Django shouted. "THERE'S NO TIME TO THINK! YOU KILL THE GUY WITH THE TRUSS! I'll take the Strawhat brat." Guy with the truss…who did he mean? Zoro or Usopp? I guessed Zoro, because at this point, Usopp didn't look like much of a threat. Usopp sneezed.

"**KLAHADORE!**" A voice shouted from behind me and to the right. "**STOP!**"

"KAYA!" Usopp shouted, looking petrified. "WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?!" At the same time;

"HEY! ISN'T THAT THE GIRL FROM THE MANSION?! SHE'S OUR **REAL** TARGET!" Captain Django shouted.

"THEN WE DON'T NEED TO SACK THE VILLAGE!" On pirate shouted.

"WE JUST GOTTA KILL THE GIRL, RIGHT?"

"What a lovely surprise, Miss Kaya," Captain Poop jacket said, adjusting his glasses again, "what brings you here?"

"Merry told me everything." Kaya replied. I looked between them confusedly. Was there something I was missing?

"Merry? He lived?" Captain Poop jacket sounded surprised. "I thought I had killed him…"

"…I'm sorry…Usopp!" Kaya said after a while, clenching her fists. "How can you ever forgive me? I was so wrong about you. I just couldn't believe…that Klahadore was a pirate…" I suddenly got the feeling that I shouldn't be intruding on their icky feelings moment, and silently retreated to where Zoro was.

"Gooey icky feelings." I whispered in his ear. He snorted in reply, keeping an eye on Butchie. There was some more shouting from that general direction that I tuned out, probably along the lines of, 'you should leave, they'll kill you. But you're fighting too! I want to be by your side, etc. etc.'

"**JUST TAKE IT AND LEAVE THE VILLAGE ALONE!**" Kaya shouted. I noticed that she was talking to Captain Poop jacket.

"Not good enough, Miss Kaya." Captain Poop jacket said in a creepy voice as he adjusted his glasses again. "Yes, I want your fortune, but I also want…_peace of mind_."

"Uh oh." I said to Zoro. "He's going to start a why-I'm-an-evil-butler-poophead speech…" Another snort. Was Zoro half a pig? Maybe he was the son of the Leprechaun king and his wife, the Snorting Pig of Talula…

"I spent three years earning the trust of the villagers here. I've grown comfortable; I can even relax. Only when I have that peace of mind and your wealth will my plan have been accomplished. Thus the pirate attack on the village…and your **accidental** demise…are both quite essential."

"What a pig." I said disgustedly, folding my arms tighter around Bearetta.

"KAYA, RUN!" Usopp shouted. "DON'T WASTE YOUR BREATH ON HIM! HE'S NOT THE MAN YOU KNEW!"

"YEAH! HE'S THE KING NARGLE!" I shouted. There was another pause as everyone looked at me. "Does no one here know what a Nargle is?" They shook their heads. "Oh…carry on then." Kaya pulled something out of her pocket and pointed it at Captain Poop jacket. It was a pistol.

"LEAVE THIS VILLAGE ALONE!" She shouted.

"Hmmm…you've really grown up over the last three years…" Captain Poop jacket said. "And I've been at your side for all the changes, haven't I? Even before you lost your parents and became ill, you and I spent a lot of time together. We went sailing together…took trips into town…" Kaya's aim was becoming shakier. "when you had a fever, I stayed at your bedside day and night…I suffered with you…I laughed with you. I was ever your humble servant." I made a face at his words. Sooooo not real. Dum dum.

"Poopy head…" I muttered under my breath, crossing my arms and glaring at Captain Poop jacket angrily.

"I humored you, Miss Kaya," Captain Poop jacket went on, "in all your silly dreams. And I endured it…**all for today! The day I could ****_kill_**** you!**" tears poured down Kaya's face and her grip on the gun loosened with shock.

"I, who was once the dread Captain Kuro, BOWED AND SCRAPED TO A SPOILED LITTLE GIRL, AND CATERED TO HER EVERY WHIM, DAY AND NIGHT. CAN YOU FATHOM MY **HUMILIATION!?**" The gun fell from Kaya's hand as Usopp flew at Captain Poop jacket in a rage, ready to punch him on the face once again. Wait…Usopp was gone from my side…oops.

"Usopp…that reminds me…" Captain Poop jacket said, not looking impressed by Usopp's rage in the least.

"OH DAFFODIL!" I shouted, flying over to Usopp as fast as I could, latching onto him. I was about to transport him away from that particular area when I noticed that Captain Poop jacket wasn't in front of us anymore. Well shitake mushrooms.

"I still owe you for hitting me." He was beside us! Captain Poop jacket grinned menacingly. "You hit me with all your might!"

"LUFFY!" I screeched, transporting Usopp as far away from Captain Poop jacket as I could, which was only a few feet. A fist shot past me in the moment that the villain was wound up to strike us (well, _through_ me, it would hit Usopp), and smacked Poop jacket square on the nose.

"If you don't like getting hit," Luffy said from further down the slope, "I'll punch you a hundred more times!" He had his trademark grin plastered on his face, which really reminded me of someone…meh, I'd figure it out later.

"THAT KID!" a random background pirate shouted. "HE SENT CAP'N KURO SAILING!" I rolled my eyes, and imitated a talking mouth with my hand.

"FROM ALL THE WAY OVER THERE?" another background pirate shouted. I began to feel slightly irritated, so I flew through them to shut them up. Luffy cracked his knuckles quite menacingly. I looked over at Nami-baka, who was still being defended by Queen Margareta and Fairy Queen, and therefore, unharmed. Suddenly, from behind me, and menacing aura arose which was almost, but not quite, on the level of that corrupt spirit I had met so long ago.

I flew over to Kaya, who looked at me in surprise.

"You're floating!" she exclaimed. I gave her a big grin and nodded enthusiastically.

"That's 'cause I'm a ghost!" I explained, kicking my feet out and sitting on air. Really, she should have noticed while I was floating next to Zoro, but she was in an understandably unstable mind-set, so I would forgive her just this once. (n_n) Down the hill, the background pirates were yelling about how angry Captain Poop jacket was now. I ignored them, but my eyes widened at what happened next, and panic flooded through me.

"NOW!" Three familiar voices yelled. Then, Onion, Pepper, and Carrot jumped out of the bushes and started hitting Captain Poop jacket on the head with a shovel, bat, and frying pan respectively. I stared in shock, flailing my hands and trying my best to stop them without touching them and leaving Kaya's side. Surprise, surprise, it wasn't working.

"THAT'S ENOUGH, CREW!" I heard Usopp shout from behind me. "STOP!"

"All right," Carrot said after they had stopped. "that oughta teach him." I sweatdropped. Did they really think that Captain Poop jacket was hurt because of that? "I knew it! The Captain's been fighting!" Carrot went on. I sighed, and held Bearetta closer to me.

"WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL US?" Pepper shouted, "YOU SMELL LIKE SWEAT!"

"NO! HE SMELLS LIKE HE'S FORGOTTEN HIS FAITHFUL CREWMEN!" Onion shouted. I looked at Captain Poop jacket. He didn't seem too happy. I stared for a moment, and then looked back at Bearetta…she could be useful. I adjusted my cap, not listening to the crisis the Usopp pirates were having, looking at Luffy out of the corner of my eye. His eye caught mine, and he nodded slightly. I looked back over at the three kids, jumping a little when I saw Captain Poop jacket walking past them, Kaya, me, and Usopp.

"That smarted a little bit." He called down to Luffy. Since he ignored me, I contented myself with making faces at his back as he talked. "You displayed an unusual ability. You must have the power…of the Devil Fruit." I made a pig face at his back.

"**That's right.**" Luffy said, holding up a fist. "**I ate the Gomu-gomu no mi. I'm a rubber man!**" Shouts of surprise arose from a crop of background pirates. I continued to make faces at Captain Poop jacket's back, Bearetta dangling from one hand.

"DJANGO!" Captain Poop jacket suddenly shouted.

"EH?"

"**I'll kill the rubber man! **You just deal with Miss Kaya! Force her to write the will, as planned, then…**KILL HER!**" I frowned, and grabbed Kaya's shoulder. "And those three nipping pups as well. Too bad you can't kill the one making faces at my back, but maybe sending her friends to join her will do the trick." I scowled at him, then pointed in his direction.

"JUST BECAUSE I'M A GHOST, DOES **NOT** MEAN YOU CAN TREAT ME ANY DIFFERENTLY FROM A LIVING PERSON, YOU RACIST PIG! GHOST RIGHTS ARE HUMAN RIGHTS!" I shouted. Captain Poop jacket's face twitched. Just as Django was walking up the hill, Zoro held out one of his swords to stop him.

"Stop." Zoro said. "You shall not pass beyond this point." Django scowled.

"BUTCHIE!" He shouted.

"**MEEOOW!**" Butchie shouted, and then jumped high in the air in the direction of Zoro.

"**Cat-a-pult…cat-astrophe!**" He shouted as he smashed into the ground, cracking it beyond repair. Zoro had luckily rolled out of the way, so I wasn't too worried. Captain Poop jacket tsked as he watched.

"Doesn't know his own strength…" he muttered.

"WOW!" Luffy shouted. "What _is_ that guy!?" Zoro was slammed into the cliff-face by Butchie's paw-hand, and I winced. I may be dead, but that looked like it _hurt_! The dust cleared, and I saw that Zoro was blocking the paw with the sword that was unsheathed.

"You've already lost to me once," he grunted, "so stop…**PESTERING ME!**" With that, he kicked Butchie away from him. I had stars in my eyes as I jumped up and down in mid-air.

"SOOOO COOL!" I shouted, whacking Usopp on the head when he attempted to get up. "Don't even try." I told him. He glared at me and then whipped his head around to look at the three little kids.

"**USOPP'S PIRATES!**" He shouted. The three of them stood at attention, then started shouting threats at Captain Poop jacket and Django. I was tempted to face-palm. "**PROTECT MISS KAYA!**" Usopp shouted over their shouting. That effectively shut them up. There was some more talking, but ignoring it, I gave Luffy a look, and he nodded again. I turned around so I was facing Kaya, and then lifted her up by her armpits, dragging her over to the entrance to the woods. She looked confused for a moment before regaining her footing, making my job easier.

"Hurry, Miss Kaya!" Carrot said, grabbing one of her hands.

"Once we reach the trees, we're in our own backyard!" Onion added. Kaya looked back, but I blocked her view with my face and a big grin.

"It's okay! This bodyguard isn't capable of dying a second time!" I said cheerily, pushing her along. Making sure I still had a firm hold on Bearetta, I looked backwards myself, to see Django face-plant on the ground through the trees, courtesy of Usopp.

As the living people ran, I flew above, sometimes flying backwards so I could scout behind us, and sometimes keeping Kaya going by lifting her up and flying with her for a while, giving her body time to rest before she had to run again. I could feel myself running out of steam, so I hoped what I had planned if and when Django caught up to us worked.

I stared at a flickering hand with a frown as the kids kept up Kaya's spirit below. As I swooped down to once again relieve Kaya of running for a while, the trees next to us were suddenly cut down.

"YIKES!" Carrot shouted. "WHAT WAS THAT?" In a blink, I had them turning so that we had our backs facing the decimated trees, and running full tilt again.

"**COME OUT AND PLAY, YOU ROTTEN BRATS!**" Django cried behind us. "**DON'T THINK YOU CAN ESCAPE ME!**"

"Keep running!" I warned them, slipping down to the ground behind them, and, as they ran, creating an invisible sheet of ice that covered the ground, just in case the pirate tried to follow. We finally stopped a relatively safe distance away in order to allow Kaya time to recuperate from the mad rush we had just put her through. She was burning up with a fever, and I was pretty much useless after spending that much energy being human the day before. My hands were flickering between visible and invisible like mad, and it was spreading up my arms as well. Meanwhile, the three kids were bickering.

"She needs a Doctor!" Carrot said, pointing in the direction of the village.

"THERE'S NO TIME, DUMMY!" Pepper yelled. "OUR LIVES ARE IN DANGER!"

"But she can't run anymore!" Onion pointed out, looking at Kaya worriedly.

"I put down ice, which should slow him, seeing as ice is extremely slippery, but it's only a matter of time until he catches up…" I mused, putting on my thinking face. "How about this…you three get her as far away from here as you can, and I'll continue to lay down a false ice trail leading away from you to delay him as long as I can." The three of them nodded and helped Kaya up and the four wobbled away in a randomly chosen direction. I watched them for a minute or two until they were out of sight, and then continued in the opposite direction, laying down more ice as I went, though more patchily to preserve what little energy I had left. Suddenly, something flew past me and killed a few more trees. _Dandelion fuzz!_ I thought, _I thought he was farther behind us!_ I picked up the speed a little.

"Where're your friends?" Django asked as he caught up to me. I smiled politely.

"Over the river and through the woods. They went to Grandmother's house." I replied cheekily. Django didn't seem to like my sarcasm very much and decimated a few more trees in anger.

"YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN!" He shouted. I clapped my fading hands over my ears.

"Golly gee wilikers, Mr. Psychotic Hypnotist Pirate Dude, any louder and you could flatten the forest with just your voice!" I complained with a pout. Django sneered at me.

"Well, I see the heiress isn't with you, so there's no need to follow _you_ anymore. I think I'll continue on my way now." He turned, and started to walk, when an oversized stuffed bear appeared in front of him, a club in one paw, and large claws sewn onto the other. The blue bear was standing upright, and its beady eyes were focused on Django. My own eyes glinted as Django turned back to me.

"You really think I'd let you go in the middle of a fun game? We're not done yet." I said in a faux cheerful tone. He stared at me for a moment.

"It's a stuffed bear. What is it going to do, sit on me?" He asked, snorting. I raised my eyebrows.

"No, _she_ might clobber you with her club, or she may decide to disembowel you with her claws instead." I answered, folding my arms. Bearetta raised her clawed forepaw. "Oh, looks like she chose disembowelment." I said with a grin. Django leapt away from the rapidly descending paw, only to slip on ice when he landed and knock himself out. I flew over and removed any weapons on his person, and then looked over at Bearetta.

"Got any rope?" She tossed over a fabric claw. I unraveled it, and tied Django up, imagining it was unbreakable Fairy rope. "pop." It shimmered gold. I rubbed my eyes tiredly, and looked up at Bearetta. "Carry me to Kaya and the others?" I asked. Bearetta nodded, and picked me up like a princess. I was in a daze, staring at what looked like a flying, mint colored bunny, when I heard a yell, and someone ran into Bearetta, sending me flying as my faithful teddy bear reverted back to her normal size. With no strength to keep her in the real world, she blinked out of existence. I scowled at the person who had disturbed me, and saw that it was Kaya.

"Are you all right?" She asked frantically, looking me over. It took me a little while to understand that she was looking for any wounds that I might have gotten. I pawed her hand away, and readjusted my hat, which was on the verge of falling off.

"I'm fine, Kaya. I'm a ghost. Ghosts don't get hurt." I said matter-of-a-factly. Kaya nodded, looking slightly reassured.

"What happened to the man following us?" She asked. The other three looked over at this point and stared paying more attention.

"Well, he got a dose of his own medicine, and is currently tied up somewhere over there." I reported, waving my hand in the direction that Bearetta had brought me from. Kaya blinked, and looked over my shoulder.

"Usopp-kun?" She said, walking past me. I looked over my shoulder to see Zoro carrying Usopp at a run, and they were heading straight for us. I grinned, and waved my hand over my head.

"Hey, guys!" I called. "One chicken trussed and ready for pickup over there somewhere!" Zoro nodded as he slowed and set Usopp down on the ground.

"Luffy's kicking Kuro's ass now." Zoro said, leaning against a tree. I nodded, and sank until I was near the ground, and then I walked over the grass to his side.

"Zoro, why is a mint bunny flying around your head?" I asked, watching the cute thing. Zoro raised an eyebrow at me.

"There isn't." He said. I frowned at him.

"Are you sure, because it sure looks like it." I said. Both of his eyebrows arched upwards.

"You look like you need a long nap." He pointed out. I took off my hat and scratched my head.

"Maybe I do…" I muttered, and looked at my hat. "pop." I said, and my hat gained materialness. (That is so a word.)

"Carry this for me while I sleep?" I asked, handing him the hat. Zoro nodded, and I faded into the darkness.

Two days later, I was up and functional again, and we were getting ready to leave. I was having fun with Luffy making up riddles. The game started something like this;

"Time for a riddle!" I exclaimed.

"Okay!" Luffy shouted.

"Let's see…When you put it on flowers, they open up. When you put it on unripe cherries, they turn all red and juicy. When you get in on your arms and legs, they turn brown. And when you look at it through a dewdrop, you see all the colors of the rainbow." Luffy's face turned red as he thought, and I was worried that he was going to blow a gasket.

"MEAT!" He shouted finally. I giggled and shook my head.

"Nope!"

"…bacon!"

"No, that's a type of meat."

"Cheese!"

"It isn't food!" I sang, bouncing around and trying to grab his hat while we were playing the game. He ducked and dodged while he was thinking, and I gave him small hints. Finally, after a few minutes of guessing, Nami-baka shouted out the answer in impatience.

"SUNSHINE!" She shouted. I pouted at her.

"You're no fun!" I exclaimed. "He was supposed to guess it himself."

"Hey, Aave!" Luffy grinned up at me.

"Yeah?"

"What smells good, is juicy, and has a bone?"

"MEAT!" I shouted out, punching my fist in the air. Luffy grinned wider and nodded enthusiastically. The four of us were heading down to the southern beach where Kaya - who had called when I was blacked out - had told us to meet her. She had said something about a surprise for us, and I for one, couldn't wait to see what it was. I swooped in front of the group for a bit, and then circled back to Luffy, where I attempted to take his hat again. I had just failed, yet again, when Gwaine flew over to me.

"Woof!" he barked. I giggled.

"Hey, Gwaine!" I said, allowing him to alight on my finger.

"Woof!" he greeted back.

"Is there anything ahead I should know about?" I asked, landing on Luffy's shoulders and sitting there as I talked to Gwaine. Luffy grabbed my ankles to balance me. I leaned on his head, and looked Gwaine in his tiny eyes. Gwaine woofed again, then gave me a dog/bird shrug. I giggled again.

"He doesn't want to tell me!" I announced to the others. The others laughed, and Luffy opened up his mouth to say something, only to have Zoro's hand clamp down over it.

"Not another word." I heard him hiss to Luffy, who nodded, causing me to wobble on his shoulders a little bit. I raised an eyebrow at Zoro, who was looking a little too innocent to _be_ innocent.

"You know something I don't." I accused. Luffy opened his mouth again, and it was Nami-baka's turn to cover his mouth.

"We know as much as you do." She said with a smile on her face. That smile sent alarm bells off in my mind. I narrowed my eyes, and glanced at Gwaine.

"They didn't drag you into this, did they?" I asked him. Gwaine's tiny face looked at me for a moment before nodding. I raised an eyebrow and stared at the other three.

"Is this, by an chance, payback for my pranks?" I asked. Nami-baka and Zoro nodded with twin grins on their faces.

"And your singing." Nami-baka added. It was my turn to grin.

"Oh, I can sing _a lot_ more if you want me to." I said. Nami-baka's eyes widened as I opened my mouth.

**Lion King 'Circle of Life'.**

_Nants ingonyama bagithi Baba_

_Sithi uhm ingonyama_

_Nants ingonyama bagithi Baba_

_Sithi uhm ingonyama_

_Ingonyama_

_Siyo Nqoba_

_Ingonyama_

_Ingonyama nengw' enamabala_

_Nants ingonyama bagithi Baba_

_Sithi uhm ingonyama_

_Nants ingonyama bagithi Baba_

_Sithi uhm ingonyama_

_Ingonyama_

_Siyo Nqoba_

_Ingonyama_

_Ingonyama nengw' enamabala_

_From the day we arrive on the planet_

_And blinking, step into the sun_

_There's more to see that can ever be seen_

_More to do that can ever be done_

_There's far too much to take in here_

_More to find then can ever be found_

_But the sun rolling high_

_Through the sapphire sky_

_Keeps great and small on the endless round._

_It's the Circle of Life_

_And it moves through us all_

_Through despair and hope_

_Through faith and love_

_Till we find our place_

_On the path unwinding_

_In the Circle of Life_

_The Circle of Life._

_It's the Circle of Life_

_And it moves through us all_

_Through despair and hope _

_Through faith and love_

_Till we find our place_

_On the path unwinding_

_In the Circle of Live_

_The Circle of Life._

By the time I finished, we reached the beach, and there, sitting majestically in the sun, was the cutest caravel I had ever seen. I stared at it with wide eyes and a hanging jaw as Luffy danced around happily.

"Behold!" said a sheep look-alike, "She's not the newest model, but I designed her myself. She's a caravel, with a jib and a central stern rudder. I present to you…the Going Merry-go*" He looked over at Luffy.

"Aren't you the ones who helped Usopp chase away the Black Cat pirates?" he asked. "I thought you'd be taller…" Luffy danced around, taking his hand off my ankles to punch his fists in the air. I grabbed onto his head to steady myself.

"You're really giving us this ship?!" Luffy exclaimed, sounding ecstatic.

"Yes." Kaya said. "Please take it." The sheep look-alike dragged Luffy, and therefore me, off to the side to explain the workings of the ship. I was interested, since I was supposed to be haunting said ship, so I floated off of Luffy's shoulders because I knew that he wouldn't be staying there for long.

"I'll explain the rigging." Sheep-man started. "First, regarding the adjustment of the yard with the clew-garnet…" he trailed off as Nami-baka interrupted him.

"You're wasting your breath talking to Luffy and Zoro," she said. "Talk to Aave and I instead." Sheep-man nodded, turned to us, and gave us a rundown of how to steer the ship in any kind of weather. His explanation was patchy, but I was sure that if Nami-baka was ever out of commission for some reason, I would be able to guide the ship in the right direction. Sheep-man, whose name was actually Merry, had just finished his explanation when I heard a scream in the distance. I looked over to the hill, and saw the funniest sight I thought I would ever see. Usopp was rolling down the hill because of an overloaded backpack that was in the shape of a boulder.

I laughed heartily as Luffy and Zoro stopped Usopp before he hit our ship. I flew up to the ship as Luffy climbed over the side. Usopp seemed to be having a heart to heart with Kaya, and romantic stuff was icky, bleh. XP

"A ship!" I exclaimed, throwing my arms out and looking out on the deck. Luffy chuckled next to me, and took off my hat to ruffle my hair. I pouted and stomped my feet on the air just above the deck.

"Now you gotta join the crew!" Luffy announced, plopping my hat back on my head. I let the hat shade my eyes as I thought. Should I? A sudden memory took over my senses.

_Flashback~_

_I had just woken up and gotten out of bed. When I plodded into the kitchen tiredly, I was not surprised to see my parents awake, and dressed in their best. Mum in her brown and green feathered dress, Dad in his suit and tie. Mum was piling her hair on her head, and looking in the mirror when she saw me. She smiled her sideways smile, and turned around, walking over to me. _

_ "__You don't have school today," she said. "The doctors said that you should stay home." I looked up at her, bright blue eyes meeting emerald green eyes. _

_ "__But I want to play pirates with my friends." I said. Mum ruffled my hair, then took her hand off and stood up. Dad's hand replaced hers on my head. _

_ "__Hun," she said, "you're a trooper, and I know you'll kick this disease in it's a-" she was cut off as Dad cleared his throat. She made a face at him. "Sorry, butt."_

_ "__Really?" I asked. Mum smiled brightly, the smile that she smiled when she knew everything was going her way._

_ "__You're _our_ daughter." She said, by way of explanation. _

_End Flashback~_

I smiled Mum's smile up at Luffy.

"You'll have to do better than that to convince me to be more than a haunt!" I said. Luffy pouted childishly at me, and I widened my grin. Together, we went to the railing of the ship, and I floated to sit on it while Luffy leaned on the railing.

"Take care, you guys." Usopp was saying, waving up at us. "See you around."

"Why?" Luffy asked. I was also curious. Wasn't he already part of Luffy's crew? He _was_ mia mensoganto after all.

"Huh? Why?" Poor Usopp looked confused. "That's not very friendly. Since we're all pirates, we might cross paths someday…"

"**Stop babbling and get on board.**" Zoro demanded.

"Huh?"

"We're a team, aren't we?" Luffy asked.

"Mia Kapitano is right, mia mensoganto." I said, nodding my head, Gwaine landing on my shoulder, pooped from exploring the ship. Usopp stared up at us for a moment before thrusting his fists into the air.

"YEAH! I CAN BE THE CAPTAIN!" He shouted. I laughed as Luffy grew angry.

"NO WAY! I'M THE CAPTAIN!" Luffy shouted back.

As we sailed away from the island, Nami-baka dug out a barrel of rum, and poured it into four mugs, handing a fifth empty one to me. I grinned at her.

"Thanks, mia stelistino**." I said. Nami-baka blinked at me.

"What's that mean?" She asked. I giggled and turned back to the celebration. The five of us raised our cups, and shouted;

"HERE'S TO A NEW SHIP AND NEW FRIENDS, **KAMPAI!**"

…

Aave rips open the fourth wall and turns to the readers.

"I am hilarious, and you should quote everything I say." Nods to herself.

"Mission, 'quote NAPPA', accomplished."

***the Japanese add –go as a suffix to a ship's name. Kind of like how Europeans and Americans refer to their ships as a 'she'. So in the manga and anime, The Going Merry is referred to as the Merry-go. And the Thousand Sunny is referred to as the Sunny-go.**

****mia stelistino: Aave's first nickname for Nami. Means 'my thief'. Yes, she knows more about Nami than Nami thinks.**

**As always, I will update whenever I can! :) thank you those who have kept at it! I love you all so much! **

**Also, the flashback scene in this actually has a picture that goes with it that I posted on my deviantart. It isn't finished yet, but the rough sketch is up there. My account is kittehcommiteh2 if anyone is interested in seeing it. **


	17. Chapter 17

**Ureshiitamago: well, for a while there, I wasn't able to access the internets, so I couldn't check my email. When I was finally able to (read: after my mum fixed it, she's awesome)…did I mention how much I LOVE you readers? I mean seriously, you're all the best!**

**Aave: I love you too!**

**Ureshiitamago: A review from guest: Can't wait for Aave to meet Sanji. :) You be lucky, mon ami. Here is where Aave meets Sanji. **

**Aave: Who's Sanji?**

**Ureshiitamago:…..you'll see.**

**Aave:…I hope he's not like Mr. Punhar Sujanan…**

**Ureshiitamago: Who?**

**Aave: You know, Mr. Punhar Sujanan. He's the creepo who likes to tear apart stuffed animals in front of little squirrels. **

**Ureshiitamago: He ****_does_**** sound like a creepo…we're getting off topic. Here's the thankies!**

**We would like to thank; BluWolf142, KawaiLove, SomeRandomBoredGuy, Anime-master1000, and Kitty243 for following/favoriting!**

**A special thanks to; acacia626, leebee14, guest, Varus the Shadow Sage, QuirkyKit, and FlamingCatDemon13 for reviewing!**

**Aave: Let's get on with it!**

**Ureshiitamago: Ah, one more thing. This chappie is extra long 'cause I won't be updating for two weeks. *dodges tomatoes* so…yeah.**

_ "__YEAH! I CAN BE THE CAPTAIN!" He shouted. I laughed as Luffy grew angry._

_ "__NO WAY! I'M THE CAPTAIN!" Luffy shouted back. _

_As we sailed away from the island, Nami-baka dug out a barrel of rum, and poured it into four mugs, handing a fifth empty one to me. I grinned at her._

_ "__Thanks, mia stelistino." I said. Nami-baka blinked at me._

_ "__What's that mean?" She asked. I giggled and turned back to the celebration. The five of us raised our cups, and shouted;_

_ "__HERE'S TO A NEW SHIP AND NEW FRIENDS, __**KAMPAI!**__"_

**Chapter 17: Here's to a ghostly new day!**

I rolled in the air, laughing my butt off as Luffy held up his creation. It looked like a mangled version of a skull, and it was just _terrible_! Not that I could speak. My previous attempt at creating a pirate flag had garnered disgust at my abilities, even from _Luffy_.

"IT'S FINISHED!" Luffy cried as he brandished the horrid flag in Usopp, Zoro, Nami-baka, and my faces. "LUFFY'S PIRATE FLAG!" My stockinged feet kicked out in a useless attempt to stop my laughter, and I clutched my ribs, a pain growing there even though I was dead. Luffy ignored me and went on talking about his flag. I grabbed onto Zoro's shoulders as I breathed in and out steadily, only for another glance at the failed flag to send me bursting out in laughter once again.

"N-no more!" I shouted, turning away from the hilarious abomination and shutting my eyes. I guess I should have also covered my ears, because the next comments from the crew sent me back into the hell-hole that was laughter.

"This guy's a little low on design sense!" Usopp said in astonishment.

"Hmmm…" Nami-baka pondered. "Or is it Avant-garde?" she asked.

"A pirate flag ought to inspire terror. This one is making Aave laugh." He pointed over to me, who was trying not to die a second time from too much laughing…was that even possible? "But it _is_ a little scary…"

"You like it?" Luffy asked, and I turned back around when I had gotten myself back together. He was beaming like it was Christmas, and he was sure that he had given the best present of all time.

"Your painting stinks, Luffy." Usopp said bluntly. I muffled a laugh with my hand. "Let me try." He added. A few minutes later, I was guffawing again as Usopp held up the emblem he had drawn. Only, it wasn't Luffy's, it was his. Luffy and Zoro whacked him on the back of the head.

"**That's not our emblem.**" They said at the same time. I giggled as I had my hand over the knot on the back of Usopp's head when he was drawing another emblem and grumbling about ruining his chances at becoming a mighty warrior of the sea.

"Good! I like it!" Nami-baka exclaimed as she saw the finished piece.

"It looks like a completely new flag." Zoro commented. I nodded in agreement and drew the kanji for pirate on his arm. Zoro growled and chased me around the ship.

"C'mon!" Luffy cried, grabbing Zoro and I by the back of our shirts, "We're gonna paint the sails!" I yelped as he dragged me over to a can of paint. "Carry me!" He shouted, picking up the paint and a paintbrush. I giggled.

"I got something better, want to fly yourself?" I asked. Luffy nodded eagerly. I concentrated on my hand, imagining the fairy dust that allowed the 'Tinkerbell' from 'Neverland' to fly. It piled up in my hand, and I threw it over Luffy.

"Now you just gotta believe you can fly!" I shouted as I grabbed some paint for myself. Luffy was soon zooming around with me in midair, painting the sails like mad people. We also got into more than a few paint fights. After the dust had worn off of Luffy, and the sails were finished, Zoro, Nami-baka, and Usopp collapsed on the deck in exhaustion as Luffy and I raced over to the cannon to try and fire it.

"I think it's supposed to be pointing up more." I said dubiously, mentally measuring how far away the rock that was our target was. Luffy looked at me critically.

"I think it's fine the way it is." He said. I shrugged.

"We should shoot this first, just in case we miss." I said, pulling out an oversized flower in midair. Luffy grinned and stuffed it in the big barrel of the cannon.

"Ready," I said, plugging my ears. "Aim….FIRE!" The boom was so loud that I could almost _see_ the letters that made up the word BOOM in the air. Along with two exclamation points. I laughed loudly, ears ringing from the noise, and flew over to the stairs, where Zoro suddenly appeared in front of me. He jerked backwards to avoid getting dipped into a sudden ice-bath, and looked over at Luffy.

"What are you two firing at?" He asked. Then he saw the giant flower that was now bobbing in the water. "And _what_ were you firing?"

"A giant Orchid." I said at the same time that Luffy said;

"That rock. It's cannon practice." Luffy stared out at the rock. "But this thing doesn't shoot right." He complained.

"I told you it should have been pointing up a bit more!" I scolded, shaking a finger at him. Usopp walked past me.

"That's silly," he said. "Let me try." Luffy pointed out to the rock we were trying to hit.

"Hit that rock." He said.

"Okay." Said Usopp. "Judging from your first shot," he said, adjusting the cannon, "this should do it…" Luffy and I watched in anticipation as Usopp lit the fuse and stood back. The cannon went off, and a few seconds later, the rock that we were aiming at blew into tiny bits! It was amazing! I spun in circles, squealing, sparkles in my eyes.

"HE HIT IT!" I shouted, flying around the deck.

"Wow!" Luffy exclaimed. "You hit it on your first try!"

"Wow!" Usopp exclaimed. "I hit it on my first try!" I giggled at his silliness as he hurriedly corrected himself. "See?" he said, trying to look cool. "Didn't I tell you? I always hit what I aim at. If you're impressed, just call me 'Captain'."

"No, I'll call you…our sharpshooter." Luffy said, grinning at him.

Back in the kitchen…

"Okay, you can be Captain…for now." Usopp relented. I smiled from above the table. I was laying on my belly in the air.

"But if you ever show cowardice," Usopp went on, "I'll take over in a heartbeat."

"Fine with me." Luffy said. I giggled, knowing that Usopp was never going to get that title of Captain. "I've been thinking." Luffy said.

"Always a dangerous pastime." I said. He grinned up at me, and I at him.

"There's still one position we need to fill before we reach the Grand Line." He continued seriously.

"This Galley has all the equipment." Nami-baka interjected. "I'll do it, for a price." I looked over at her.

"Do you take Fool's Gold?" I asked. She glared up at me. "I take that glare as a no." I sighed, dejected, and dropped down to sit on Luffy's lap.

"Good." Zoro said. "That skill's essential on a long voyage."

"Then it's agreed!" Luffy said with a grin. "A pirate ship must have…"

"A MUSICIAN!" He and I shouted out together.

"ARE YOU TWO NUTS?"

"I'm a pistachio, thank you for asking." I said with a grin, turning into a pistachio for a second before turning back.

"NOT WHAT I MEANT!"

"I THOUGHT YOU WERE GOING TO SAY SOMETHING SMART FOR ONCE!"

"If you're going to say something smart, say nothing at all…wait…" I was beyond confused at that point.

"THIS IS PIRACY, NOT A PLEASURE CRUISE!"

"No, pleasure cruises would have a string quartet. We're talking about a Musician. There's a difference." I knew that at least. There had been many people from pleasure cruises who had stopped by our island in the day.

"AAVE'S RIGHT! PIRATES HAVE TO SING, DON'T THEY?" I was about to interject something else, when a whisper flitted through my mind. _Somebody who means harm is on the ship!_ I thought.

"AN INVASION!" I screamed, as a deep male voice yelled from outside;

"**COME OUT AND FIGHT, DOGS! I'LL MURDER THE LOT OF YOU!**"

"ALREADY DEAD!" I shouted back, peeking my head through the wall.

"**AAAAAAAH! A GHOST SHIP!**" The man shouted.

"Aaaaw, you flatter me!" I said, blushing. "No, there are flesh and blood people on here, I'm just haunting it." I explained, eyeing a broken barrel. An irk mark appeared on my forehead. The man stood up from his defensive crouch.

"Oh, then send one out. I WANT TO KILL THEM!" I blinked at him, and drew my head back into the kitchen.

"He wants to kill one of you." I said. I thought back to the crunched barrel. "Also, he's destroying our barrels." Luffy burst through the door when I said that, intent on booting the destroyer of barrels off of our ship.

"HEY!" Luffy shouted. "WHO ARE YOU, AND WHY ARE YOU DESTROYING OUR BARRELS? WHAT DID THEY EVER DO TO YOU?"

"WHAT'S IT…TO YOU…" I heard the other man shout back. "WHO I AM?!" I winced as a slight pain synchronized with the sound of a crunch from outside the doors of the kitchen.

"He's destroying the ship." I muttered angrily, rubbing the arm that had tinged with pain. So _this_ was what happened when a ghost decided to haunt something. They felt the thoughts, pain, and emotion of the thing they were haunting. It was like having a friend inside your head. I already had some of those, but I welcomed another.

"How many?" Zoro asked, not getting up from his seat.

"One." I answered, flying over to him as Nami-baka and Usopp stared out the window.

"Let Luffy handle it then." Zoro ordered. I gave him a sloppy salute.

"Yes sir!" I said, before sitting cross-legged on the air next to him. Zoro snorted, and then leaned back against the wall again. There was some more screaming from outside, but then it all quelled when there was a large THUMP from outside that shook the boat. Zoro and I looked at each other and then slowly made for the door. Zoro had picked up his swords, and a sheathed one was resting casually on his shoulder. I flew through the wall, and saw Luffy sitting on the lower deck, staring at something under the railing. I blinked. Part of the railing was gone.

"Did that guy destroy our railing?" I asked, pointing at the missing chunk of wood. Luffy nodded up at me. Zoro looked over the edge at the body lying on the ground, and a surprised look came over his face.

"Huh?...Well, I'll be. It's Johnny." He said. The guy with the kanji for 'sea' tattooed on his cheek shot up and stared at Zoro before shouting.

"Z-ZORO-ANIKI!" I stared at Zoro.

"Wow!" I exclaimed. "You're related to this weirdo?!"

"No." Zoro snapped at me. I pouted.

"You're no fun, Mr. I-don't-have-three-hands." An irk mark appeared on Zoro's forehead, and I decided that I had better chances down with Luffy. I flew down to him, and plopped into his lap. Luffy took off my hat, and started combing his fingers through my hair. I started purring, and turned into a cat. (By accident, I _swear_!) I blushed as I turned back. Johnny was shouting something about a man called Yosaku dying, and then brought a bleeding man aboard the ship. I grimaced in sympathy.

"He was fit until a few days ago." Johnny said in a shaky voice. "Then he went pale and started passing out! I don't know what's wrong!" I was hovering behind Nami-baka, who kept on shifting so that I couldn't see. I think she was doing it on purpose.

"His teeth are falling out." Johnny went on. "And he's bleeding from old scars. I didn't know what to do, so I went to get some rest and think on that rock.." Rock…uh oh.

"THEN ONE OF YOU SHOT A CANNONBALL AT ME!" He finished with a shout. Usopp, Luffy, and I lined up in a row and bowed.

"Forgive us." We said. I felt absolutely horrid, and could feel myself becoming dimmer because of it.

"That's history. Forget it." Johnny said. "What good are apologies anyway?" Usopp, Luffy, and I jumped.

"Our reputation has grown." Johnny said. "Pirates fear the names of Johnny and Yosaku. He's my trusted partner. We've hunted pirates together for years! My brother's gonna…is he gonna die?" I looked at Yosaku. He looked awful.

"DON'T BE STUPID!" Nami-baka suddenly shouted. I yelped and flew up about ten feet before flying back down.

"**What the heck, Nami?**" Zoro growled at her.

"**How dare you make light of my partner's death?!**" Johnny added. Nami-baka ignored them and instead started spitting out orders.

"Luffy, Usopp. There are limes in the Galley. Squeeze some and bring me the juice. Aave, put your hand on his face to reduce the bleeding."

"Bare hand?" I asked, looking at my gloved one. Nami-baka nodded. I shed the glove, and covered Yosaku's face with my hand as Luffy and Usopp ran off to the Galley to do Nami-baka's bidding.

"Limes?" Johnny asked.

"It's scurvy." Nami-baka said. I took my hand off of Yosaku's face when Luffy and Usopp ran back with the juice. I motioned for them to shove it down his throat, so they did.

"There," Nami-baka said. "With luck, he should recover in a few days."

"Really, Aneki?" Johnny shouted, looking ecstatic.

"Don't call me that." Nami-baka ordered. "A generation ago, Scurvy was the bane of sailors. But it's simply caused by poor nutrition. Fruits and vegetables rot on long voyages-" Nami-baka was cut off by Luffy and I.

"Wow!" we said. "You're like a doctor!"

"-reading out of a medical textbook!" I added.

"I always knew you were a brilliant woman." Usopp said, sticking his nose up in the air.

"Pinocchio, your nose grows." I pointed out. Usopp clamped his hands over his nose and glared at me.

"THESE ARE BASIC THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW IF YOU EXPECT TO SURVIVE AT SEA, MORONS!" Nami-baka shouted.

"I'm already dead, so I don't need to know." I said. She turned a demon glare on me, and I yelped and hid behind Luffy.

"SAVED BY LIME JUICE!" A foreign male voice shouted. I looked over my shoulder to see Yosaku up and dancing around.

"GOOD JOB, BROTHER!" Johnny shouted, dancing along with him.

"YOU'RE NOT WELL ENOUGH TO DANCE!" Nami-baka screamed at them.

"Invalids should rest until their Doctor says they don't have to." I said, repeating what my mother had told me many times during my disease. Yosaku looked at me.

"Does that mean I have to sit down?" He asked. I nodded seriously.

"Yes, or you'll end up like me." I said, before morphing into a long-necked lady in a snow white kimono. I grinned at them, and sharp teeth protruded from my mouth. Yosaku and Johnny screamed, and sat hard on the deck. I changed back, and giggled at my prank.

"Introduction time." Johnny said from the deck, before striking a cool pose. "I'm Johnny."

"And I'm Yosaku." Yosaku said from next to Johnny, opting for a different, but equally cool pose. "We're Zoro-aniki's old bounty hunting partners. Pleased to meet you!"

"I don't know how to thank all of you." Yosaku went on. "I was sure I was a goner."

"I still can't believe it." Johnny said with a laugh. "Pirate hunter Zoro…is a pirate." Suddenly, Yosaku keeled over from his sitting position, blood spurting out of his mouth. "WHOA! YOSAKU!" Johnny shouted.

"**LIE DOWN AND REST!**" Shouted Zoro, looking extremely irritated with them. Johnny took Yosaku to rest in the infirmary. While they were gone, Nami-baka sat on the stairs and looked at us.

"Learned anything?" she asked.

"How to introduce yourself in a cool way." I said. Nami-baka raised an eyebrow at me. "If any of you start dying, feed you lime juice?" I asked. She rolled her eyes.

"A long voyage on the high seas is fraught with hidden dangers." Zoro said.

"Those guys would be dead if we hadn't come along." Usopp remarked. "We still need someone who can transform the ship's stores into something edible…a ships' cook." I set myself down next to Luffy.

"He's right." Nami-baka said. "It's an absolute necessity."

"Okay!" Luffy said, grinning happily. "We'll look for a Sea Cook! What good is a ship without decent grub?"

"A ghost ship!" I suggested, raising a finger in the air. Luffy laughed and slapped my back a few times.

"Aniki, aniki!" Johnny said, appearing suddenly with his hand raised.

"Speak, Johnny." Zoro said.

"If you need a cook, I know where to find one." Johnny said. "But whether he'll join up with you is another matter." Then he explained to us about a sea-faring restaurant called the Baratie.

"A sea-faring restaurant?" We asked in unison.

"It's two or three days sailing from here. But be careful, it's near the Grand Line. Some rough customers frequent that place." Johnny turned to Zoro. I latched onto Luffy's neck and hung from it while Johnny talked.

"Aniki, they say that even that Hawk-eye you were hunting goes there." Zoro looked surprisingly psyched at that news.

"I'll guide you there, if you want." Johnny offered. There were cries to the positive, and we sailed on our merry way to the Baratie.

I was sitting in the crows-nest with Usopp, thinking up new ideas for things that Usopp could shoot at an enemy, when Johnny let out a yell.

"HERE WE ARE! THE SEA-FARING RESTAURANT! ZORO-ANIKI, LUFFY-ANIKI, USOPP-ANIKI, NAMI-ANEKI, AAVE-CHIBI!"

"NOT A CHIBI!" I screamed down at Johnny. "MARGARETA, SLAP HIM!" out of nowhere, Johnny was slapped across the face, and I had a sudden flashback to when Zoro had gotten the same thing, except from Fairy Queen.

"WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT?" Johnny demanded as I flew down to see the restaurant.

"That was my friend, Queen Margareta of Ifnargle." I said, not bothering to go into detail. Margareta winked at me, and then blinked away. Even Gwaine, who had disappeared yet again, came out from wherever he had been to see this.

"IT'S A FIIIISH!" I screeched, jumping up and down in the air excitedly. "A FIIIIIIIIISHY! I NAME IT JOE!"

"Joe the fish?" Yosaku questioned me. I nodded enthusiastically.

"Yeah! He can be friends with Bob the unicorn and Zoro, son of the leprechaun king!" I said. Yosaku looked over at Zoro questioningly. Zoro just shook his head.

"I gave up with that a while ago." He said. A whisper in my mind told me to look to the side. So, while the others were ogling Joe the fish, I was looking wide-eyed at a marine ship.

"Luffy, there's marines." I said, tugging on Luffy's hat. Luffy looked over, causing the others to do the same.

"A NAVY SHIP?" Usopp shouted.

"Where'd it come from?" Luffy asked.

"Under the sea!" I shouted.

"I hope they don't blast us." Usopp worried. I laughed.

"Why would they? They're a bunch of crabs and mermaids!" I said. Usopp looked at me and sweatdropped.

"That makes no sense." He said.

"They don't like work." I explained.

"…..that still doesn't make sense." He said. I huffed and turned away from him. Johnny and Yosaku were cowering at the railing.

"Hey, _we're_ not pirates." Johnny said.

"Hey!" Yosaku said, looking at the deck of the other ship. "Who's _that_ guy?" There was a guy on the ship whose hair was pink, taking my thoughts to how Coby was. Was he safe? Did he get the job he wanted? I shook my head to clear those thoughts and stared at this older, slightly demented looking version of Coby. He had nails drilled into his knuckles. Ew.

"I'm Lieutenant Ironfist Fullbody, minister of the Navy." He said. "Who's the Captain? Speak your name."

"Monkey D. Luffy." Luffy said. "We just made our pirate flag yesterday."

"Were you born like that?" I asked, pointing at Fullbody's fists. He looked at me, and silently shook his head. I pouted. "What a disappointment." I muttered, floating backwards. Fullbody stared at me for a moment before turning his attention to a different person…different people…whatever.

"Hmmm." Fullbody said. "You two scalawags look familiar." He said to Johnny and Yosaku. "You visit the Government agencies a lot. You're those two-bit bounty hunters, Yosaku and Johnny. Captured by pirates, eh?" There was a sneer in his voice that I didn't quite like, so I whispered into Johnny and Yosaku's ear to not say a word or do anything stupid, and then winked at Luffy. He shrugged and backed up a little. Prank time.

"Are they good bounty hunters?" I asked, whacking Yosaku and Johnny in the shins when they made sounds of protest.

"They are without a doubt, the worst bounty hunters I have ever heard of." Fullbody said. I held up both of my forefingers in a 'just wait' pose.

"But, you _have_ heard of them." I said with a grin. Fullbody went red. There was some laughs from behind me, for those who got the joke, and then Johnny and Yosaku did something stupid, even though I told them not to. Oh well, their funeral…did I just do a ghost pun?

"BRACE YOURSELF, YOU NAVY POPINJAY!" They shouted, rushing at Fullbody, who sighed and then beat the crap out of them before tossing them back.

"A hair's breadth from death." Johnny and Yosaku said in synch as I tickled their noses with a feather.

"Are you guy's weak or what?" Luffy asked.

"N-no…he's really tough." Yosaku defended.

"A hair's breadth from death…" Johnny groaned.

"A hair's breadth from joining me in the afterlife!" I said excitedly. Johnny and Yosaku were suddenly a-okay, and jumping around to prove that they were alive and well.

"What are you two doing?" Zoro questioned them with a sweatdrop running down his head. I lifted my head up to look at the other ship's deck when I heard a muted woman's voice.

"Yes, my dear." Fullbody answered to whatever the lady had said before turning to us and holding up a fist.

"It's your lucky day, pirate scum." He said. "It's my day off. I've come to dine. But beware, when we meet again, you're dead." I sat a little above everyone else, and stared at the Marine ship. It looked like they were going to shoot a cannon at us…time for a good ol' switcheroo. I made myself invisible and flew to the cannon, and changed the cannonball for a harmless bouquet of different colored Orchids. Then, I flew back over to our ship, and landed next to Luffy.

"Sink it." I heard Fullbody say. And at us flew a deadly…bouquet. I must say it was one of my better pranks. The bouquet landed harmlessly on the deck, and we had a good laugh over that while there was a frantic dash on the other ship to load the cannon again. They were almost out of range when they fired, so Luffy ballooned it up and shot it…at Joe the fish…

"NOOOOOOOO!" I screamed. "JOE THE FISH! PLEASE SAY YOU'RE OKAY!" I was still having a mental freakout when Luffy was collected and taken to see the Chief Chef of the restaurant.

Later:

"Where's Luffy?" Zoro asked finally. "Maybe they're making him wash dishes for a month."

"That honest fool." Nami-baka sighed. "He should've blamed the Navy ship."

"That wouldn't be very honest." I pointed out. Nami-baka rolled her eyes at me.

"Not the point." She said.

"Wanna go check up on him?" Usopp asked. "And eat? Well?"

I stared at the weirdly shaped restaurant, and looked up at the others, who were getting ready to go in.

"Do you think I can go in too, if I change into my human form?" I asked Zoro. He looked at me thoughtfully.

"Didn't you say that it's hard for you to do that?" He asked. I nodded.

"But, after I drained myself that much, somehow it feels like my reserves are bigger than they were before. Like there was a lot of weight that was lifted off my shoulders. There's still some weight, but not a lot." Zoro nodded.

"Then turn human. You want to see the inside, don't you?" I grinned widely, and gave him a quick hug before closing my eyes and concentrating on becoming real. "Pop." I said, and felt myself fall to the ground. I giggled and opened my eyes.

"I'm normal now!" I said, standing up, grabbing him and Nami-baka's hands, and running down the gangplank to the restaurant, wobbling only a little this time. We entered, and were quickly ushered to a table by what looked to be a cook. The chair was too high, so my feet didn't even come close to touching the floor. I ordered a meat plate because I knew that Luffy would be there soon, and I didn't eat. Soon, Luffy walked out of the kitchens, and saw us sitting at our table. I climbed onto my knees and turned around on my seat, causing Zoro to grab my shirt when I wobbled a little.

"Hi, Luffy!" I called. "I got you a meat plate!"

"Hi, chore boy!" Nami-baka said cheerfully.

"So…you gotta work for a year." Usopp said with a chuckle. After yanking me back into my seat, Zoro added his own comment.

"Can we change the ship's flag?" He asked.

"You're eating without me?" Luffy demanded. "I'M SLAVING AND YOU'RE EATING OUT? THAT'S MEAN!" I held up the meat plate for Luffy, who walked over and grabbed it, then ate from it moodily.

"Except for Aave." He said after he finished the plate.

"Quiet down, Luffy. Are they your Nakama?" A voice asked. I got back onto my knees and peered over the top of my chair. It was a man with blond hair that covered one eye and had one eyebrow showing that curled. He was wearing a black suite and a blue pinstripe shirt. Nostalgia jolted through me. My dad used to wear suits like that.

"YOU DRINK IT!" I heard Zoro suddenly yell. I looked over, startled, to see that Luffy was choking on water, and Zoro was yelling at him.

"What'd you do that for?" Luffy demanded. He was rolling around on the floor.

"WHAT'D _YOU_ DO THAT FOR?" Zoro demanded. Nami-baka and Usopp were laughing too hard to say anything. I tilted my head to the side, confused.

"What happened?" I asked, but my question was never answered. At that moment, the man who wore suits like my father arrived, with what looked like hearts surrounding him.

"_O sea, how grateful I am for this day of days! O love *heart* smile upon me, for I cannot survive this pain!"_ I clamped my hands over my ears, and stared at him, horrified.

"WHAT THE BUTTERCUP IS WRONG WITH YOU!?" I cried, but he just carried on.

"_I would stoop to becoming a pirate, or even a devil, if only I could be with you!_" His heart eyes…how did that happen?...were aimed at Nami-baka.

"_Such tragedy, the obstacles between us are great!_"

"THERE IS SOMETHING WRONG WITH YOUR BRAIN!" I shouted, jumping off of my chair, and running…into what felt like a brick wall. I fell to the ground, dazed, and was helped up by a man who looked like his braided moustache was coming out of his nose.

"Nice moustache." I complimented. His eyes crinkled at me, and then he looked over at the suite man.

"Obstacles, Sanji?" He asked. I looked up and down at him. He had a peg leg…so…COOL! I mentally freaked out.

"ARGH!" Suite man…Sanji shouted. "THE CRAP-GEEZER!"

"Follow your heart, and go be a pirate." Crap-Geezer said with a smirk. "I don't need you here anymore." I got a feeling that I shouldn't be there, so I skipped back to our table. Thankfully, Sanji wasn't spitting out gooey icky lovey dovey stuff anymore, so it was safe.

"Hey, Crap-geezer." Sanji said. "I'm the assistant Chef here. What do you mean, I'm not needed?" Huh, he was smoking…smoking is bad for you…

"You fight with the customers," Crap-geezer said in a gravely voice. "You waste hours flirting with women. And you're a lousy cook. You're nothing but dead weight Sanji. The other cooks don't like you much, either. So go be a pirate and get out of my restaurant." Ouch.

"**DON'T STEP OVER THE LINE, OLD MAN!** YOU CAN INSULT ME, BUT DON'T **EVER** INSULT MY COOKING! I'M STAYING RIGHT HERE! YOU HAVE NO SAY IN THE MATTER!" Sanji grabbed Crap-geezer's lapel, and then was flipped onto our table. A good amount of agility and speed saved the plates and food not yet eaten from being crushed. I stared wide-eyed at Sanji, who got up with a sulky look on his face. There was a moment of silence as he stood up, but then he shouted at Crap-geezer.

"**YOU CAN'T KICK ME OUT! I'LL COOK HERE FOREVER!** **UNTIL YOU DIE!**"

"I won't die." Crap-geezer (I was beginning to think that wasn't his actual name) said as he walked away. "I'll live another hundred years."

"Gotta have the last word, eh?" Sanji grumbled. I looked at the fallen table he was sitting on, and the empty plates in my hands. Where were we going to put these? I shrugged, and then put fairy dust on them, sending them to the kitchen to be washed.

"Great!" Luffy was saying to Sanji. "You got permission! Come be my cook!"

"**NEVER!**"

Soon the table was set again, and Sanji poured wine for Nami-baka.

"Forgive the commotion," said Sanji smoothly. "a fruit _Macedoine_, with my complements. And Grand Marnier as a digestive, my princess."

"Ooh, thank you!" Nami-baka said, looking very much like a cat who'd gotten the cream.

"How gallant! *heart*" Nami-baka said.

"Not at all…*heart*" Sanji replied.

"AAAAAAH! IT'S POISON TO MY EARS!" I cried, banging my head against the table. "SOMEONE DO ME A FAVOR AND KILL ME A SECOND TIME!" I looked up at Zoro with a pleading gaze.

"Save me from this sweet-talking hell." I whispered. Zoro looked like he was trying very hard not to laugh as he shook his head. Nami-baka and Sanji were staring at me, one confused, the other irritated. (Guess which was which!) I sniffed sadly and looked pitiful.

"DON'T _WE_ GET ANY?" Usopp shouted, banging on the table. "That's discrimination! I'll sue!"

"I gave you tea, didn't I?" Sanji asked. "You should be grateful, you mangy octopus."

"You wanna fight?" Usopp demanded. "I'm not gonna take that from you! Get him, Zoro!"

"Zoro, please kill me again before Nami-baka and swirly eyebrow start sweet-talking again." I pleaded.

"You're already dead. I can't kill you a second time." Zoro said.

"You're dead?" Sanji asked me. I grinned at him.

"For around four hundred years, yes sir!" I chirped. Sanji gaped at me.

"You haven't even cleared my plate." Usopp said, redirecting the conversation.

"There are mushrooms on it. Eat them." Sanji said.

"I don't like mushrooms." Usopp protested. "I ate a poison mushroom once when I was a kid!"

"Well, _those_ aren't poisonous, so eat every bit, longnose." Sanji growled.

"Usopp, pretend they're eggplants." I said. Usopp looked at me.

"They aren't the shape or color of eggplants."

"Wow, _you_ are no good at playing pretend." I said with a gusty sigh. "How boring."

"Oh, please don't fight over me!" Nami-baka said in a cutesy voice that made me gag.

"As you wish! *heart*" Sanji said.

"Who's fighting over you?!" Usopp and I demanded. Sanji looked at me.

"Ah, by the way, mademoiselle, you should eat too." I looked at him blankly.

"I'm a ghost, I don't eat unless I'm going through a serious case of nostalgia." I informed him. "And I'm not hungry. I didn't die because I was starving."

"Still, you should eat. It's a good source of nutrition."

"I don't need that anymore. I'm a ghost."

"Eating is good for you."

"Yes, it is. But I'm dead. Dead. Don't. Eat." I reiterated. A plate of steaming food suddenly appeared in Sanji's hands.

"Does this not smell good?" He asked, setting the plate down in front of me. I sighed.

"It does, but again, because I'm dead, I don't have to eat. Just ask them." Sanji looked around at the others. They all nodded their heads in agreement. Luffy, meanwhile, had eaten the food on the plate in front of me. Before Sanji could beat him up, Nami-baka came to our rescue. In a disgusting way. But she did.

"Um, Chef dear?" she asked, grabbing his head and bringing it closer to hers.

"Yes my sweet? *heart*" *cue gagging and retching*

"This gourmet fare is a tad pricey."

"For you, it's free! *hea…fergetaboutit.*" Sanji said, eyes turning into hearts when Nami-baka hugged him.

"Hooray! My hero!" She exclaimed as she hugged him. I made a face.

"You three guys have to pay." Sanji said over her shoulder, pointing at Zoro, Usopp, and Luffy. "But the little miss and the mademoiselle don't."

"WHAT?" Usopp shouted.

"Did you bewitch him?" Zoro asked Nami-baka as Sanji walked away.

"Mm, good tea." Remarked Luffy.

"Is it?" I asked. "It does smell good." Luffy nodded with a grin.

"It tastes like peaches and green tea." He said. I laughed.

"I had that when I was alive. It was a sunny day, in the winter!"

"You three had better watch out, too!" Nami-baka said in response to Zoro's question. I continued discussing tea with Luffy until Sanji's foot descended upon Luffy's head and Luffy was dragged away.

"ENOUGH GOOFING OFF, CHORE BOY! Offer some hot towels to our customers."

"…okay…"

I stayed on the Merry-go for as long as I could after that. I did not want to run into Sanji again and have him try to force feed me. Two days later, I was playing a game with Queen Margareta and Fairy queen when suddenly, someone in the Baratie screamed.

"DON KRIEG'S PIRATE SHIP!" was the yell, followed by; "THE HOURGLASSES BESIDE THE SKULL MEANS THAT TIME'S RUN OUT FOR THEIR ENEMIES! THERE'S NO MISTAKE! IT'S KREIG'S PIRATES! **WHAT DO THEY WANT?**" I peered over the side of the crow's nest. I was back in my ghost form, so I made sure to not accidently slide out of the side of the crow's nest, though that sounded like it'd be fun.

There was indeed, a galleon that was approaching, and it did have hourglasses on either side of the skull, but the galleon itself looked like it had seen better days. I immediately felt all of the life force on that ship on the verge of death. In fact, I could almost _see_ a Shinigami. I hummed, and then went back to my game.

A little later, I banished Margareta and Fairy Queen and, joined by Gwaine, I flew through the open door of the Baratie, just in time for everything to shake, to the point where it seemed as though the Baratie was going to collapse.

"WHAT WAS THAT?" I heard Luffy yell. I shouted, and put on a burst of speed that made me shoot like a bullet into his gut. His air let out with a whoosh, but he recovered, and held me up.

"What was that?" I asked more calmly. Sanji looked at me as Luffy opened up his mouth to reply.

"Have you eaten?" Sanji asked before Luffy could get out a word. I pouted.

"No, and I don't want to." I said. "Dead, remember?"

"JOHNNY AND YOSAKU ARE ON OUR SHIP!" Zoro shouted.

"IT MAY BE TOO LATE!" Usopp added.

"THE MERRY-GO IS SAFE!"I shouted over their voices. Zoro and Usopp looked at me.

"For some reason, it's getting farther away, but it's safe." I said, a little confused. I _did_ have to fly a little longer than usual to get to the Baratie, but I was too busy staring at the galleon to really look at the deck.

"I wonder why it was so far away…" Luffy carried me with them as they burst outside, to see Johnny and Yosaku struggling to stay afloat in the water.

"ANIKI!" Yosaku shouted.

"**ANIKI!**" Johnny parroted. They both looked scared out of their wits.

"YOSAKU! JOHNNY! YOU OKAY?" Zoro shouted down at them. "WHERE'S OUR SHIP? WHERE'S NAMI?"

"…mia stelistino took mia safoj* and ran..." I said, my hat shielding my eyes. Luffy's hand thumped onto my head, and he patted it. Hat and all.

"SORRY, ZORO-ANIKI! THE-THEY'RE GONE!"

"**NAMI-ANEKI, SHE SAILED OFF WITH ALL THE TREASURE!**" Luffy dropped me in surprise and gripped the railing instead.

"**EEEH? SHE TOOK THE SHIP?!**" He, Usopp, and Zoro shouted.

"SORRY, ANIKI!" Johnny shouted. Then he told the story of how he and Yosaku were tossed off the ship and she took off with all of the treasure. I hauled them up while they were shouting the story and crying, and soon they had finished, and were on their hands and knees in front of us.

"**And that's how she got away.**" They finished. I floated next to Luffy, who was being oddly silent.

"DARN THAT WENCH!" Zoro shouted angrily as he punched the wall. "WE SHOULD'VE KNOWN HER GOOD BEHAVIOR WAS JUST AN ACT!"

"SHE ABANDONED US IN OUR TIME OF NEED!" Usopp shouted. Luffy walked over to the railing and peered at the horizon.

"**Hey! I can still see the ship!**" He said.

"What?" Zoro said.

"It's the Merry-go." Luffy turned to Johnny and Yosaku, who were sitting in seiza. "Johnny, Yosaku, where's your ship?" he asked.

"It's anchored nearby." Yosaku answered.

"Zoro, Usopp!" Luffy turned to look at the two. He wasn't including me. Of course he wouldn't…I wasn't part of the crew, was I.

"Forget her. Why go chasing after that little thief?" Zoro asked flippantly.

"But what about the ship?" Usopp demanded. "Kaya's ship?"

"**No!**" Luffy said, looking extremely serious. "**Nami's going to be our Navigator, and nobody else.**" There was a moment of silence before Zoro relented.

"Ugh…okay, okay!" he said, hand on his head. "What an annoying Captain! All right, Usopp! We'll go!"

"Hooray!" cheered Usopp. I hung in the shadows silently, thinking, and trying not to move. As I watched them interact, no matter how close to them I was, I knew I still wasn't with them. They were a crew, and I was the ghost haunting their ship.

"Luffy? Aave? Aren't you two coming?" Usopp asked, snapping me out of my reverie. I forced a smile on my face, and was about to move forward when Luffy's hand stopped me.

"We can't…Baratie's still in danger. Better to have two of the crew here than one." My smile became a little more real.

"I'm hauntin' yer ship! Not on yer crew yet! But count me in!" I said cheerfully.

"Well, be careful," Zoro cautioned. "Things could get dicey."

"We know." Luffy said. Suddenly, someone cried out;

"**_IT'S HIM! DON KRIEG, IT'S HIM! THE DEVIL WHO SANK OUR SHIPS!_**" I blinked.

"Did I miss something?" I asked Luffy.

"They got their butts kicked in Grand Line." He replied with a shrug.

"Ah," I said. "That makes sense. People who are full of themselves can't make it in Grand Line, but people who are chicken can't either. I guess they were of the former." Luffy nodded.

"Is it true?!" Zoro gasped. I looked down at him, slightly concerned. "Is that…HAWK EYE?" Now I was very confused. There were some mutterings of disbelief and astonishment down by the cooks. I raised a hand over my eyes to block out the sun so I could see better, and saw a Latin looking man floating on what appeared to be a coffin.

"He has a coffin for a boat." I reported. "Very snazzy." Zoro looked at me weirdly.

"What?" I asked. He was about to answer when someone on Don Krieg's crew shouted at Hawk Eye.

"YOU MONSTER! WHY DO YOU KEEP PICKING ON US?" I pulled out Bearetta and hugged her tight, floating a good foot or so above the deck.

"…For fun." Was the answer. I grinned.

"I like this guy!" I said. "He knows how to play a game unlike most people his age!" Luffy laughed beside me and ruffled my hair with my hat still on my head. Then, Hawk Eye was shot at by the same person who had yelled.

"Wow! Luffy, did you see that?" I asked, completely ignoring the fact that Zoro was gone from the boat and walking towards Hawk Eye. I was too busy being amazed.

"What?"

"He redirected two bullets!"

"What? Cool!" I grinned at Luffy.

"I know!" Pause. Think. "What was Zoro's dream again?"

"To be the world's best swordsman."

"Who holds the title currently?"

"That would be Hawk Eye." Johnny interjected. Silence.

"I think someone is about to join me on the other side." I muttered to myself, too silent for anyone (even Luffy) to hear. I sat an inch above the railing and prepared myself to see Zoro get his butt kicked. Hey, I'm a kid who's over four hundred years old. I'm allowed to be pessimistic sometimes.

I watched as the world's best swordsman, and the pirate hunter duked it out on the wreckage. I flickered in between transparent and solid in worry, watching Zoro's three swords crash against Hawk Eye's dagger in vain. Next to me, Luffy was holding down Johnny and Yosaku when they had tried to interrupt the battle.

Then, I went completely numb as Hawk Eye's dagger speared Zoro's chest. Like the arrows had speared Hoshi-chan's chest…I started shaking, and bowed my head so that the others wouldn't see my face. I clenched and unclenched my hands twice before looking back up. I couldn't hear anything through the ringing in my ears. Probably shock.

Hawk Eye had drawn the sword that had been strapped to his back. It was a black blade, and its hilt looked like a cross.

Next to me, Luffy's grip on the railing crushed it. I watched with blank eyes as the two swordsmen readied themselves for the final blow. I noticed that my hearing was starting to return. A whirlwind appeared around Zoro as he twirled the two swords in his hands. Hawk Eye was dashing up to Zoro.

The two of them met, and instantly, I could tell it was Hawk Eye's win as blood erupted from Zoro's torso. As Hawk Eye went in for the finishing blow, Zoro turned around and exposed his chest.

"What are you…" Hawk Eye asked.

"Wounds on the back, are a swordsmans shame." Zoro replied.

"Magnificent." Hawk Eye said, and then slashed open Zoro's chest. Someone was screaming Zoro's name, and it took me a second to realize that it was both Luffy and I. Before I could get a grip on myself, Luffy had grabbed me, and we were flying over to the wreckage where the fight had happened. I slipped out of Luffy's grip as Hawk Eye dodged him, and stopped next to Hawk Eye, feeling surprisingly calm.

"You didn't kill him." I said. Hawke Eye raised an eyebrow at me.

"You are dead." He said. I planted my hands on my hips and glared.

"_No_, I just act like a ghost 'cause I _feel_ like it." I snapped at him. Hawk Eye smirked at me.

"Don't worry." He said. Luffy had freed his head at this point. "I let him live."

"I know that." I said, crossing my arms. "I don't see any Shinigami, and his life force is still up and kicking." As I said the words, my head snapped around as I heard gasping noises from behind me. They pulled the (stupid, idiotic, moron) swordsman into Johnny and Yosaku's boat, and proceeded to give him first aid.

"**My name is Dracule Mihawk.**" Hawk Eye said. "**It's too soon for you to die. Discover yourself, see the world! And grow strong, Zoro. **However long it may take, I shall await you at the top." I slowly backed up to where Luffy was. Hawk Eye was talking to Zoro, no one else. "STRIVE WITH YOUR WHOLE HEART AND MIND TO BEST THIS BLADE, FIERCE ONE! **STRIVE TO SURPASS ME, RORONOA ZORO!**" I sat in the air above Luffy, playing with a lock of my hair, and staring at the boat that held a swordsman who almost died. I dimly heard Luffy and Hawk Eye talking below me.

"Lad, what is your goal?"

"To be King of the Pirates."

"You tread a perilous path. Even more perilous than trying to surpass me."

"I don't care, that's what I'm going to be!" I then heard what sounded like a NYAH! Probably from Luffy. "USOPP! IS ZORO OKAY?" Luffy shouted.

"Ghost girl." I heard Hawk Eye say. I blinked, and looked over and slightly down to meet his eyes.

"Yeah?"

"What's your goal?" I pondered that.

"I have a short term one, and two long term ones." I said. Hawk Eye nodded, and stared at me. I sweatdropped.

"My short term one is to catch up with an old friend."

"Who?"

"A man named Roger, and another named Rayleigh." I said with a nostalgic smile. I completely missed the shock that passed across Hawk Eye's face temporarily.

"One of my long term goals is to see the world for my friends and I."

"And the other?"

"…to see this crew rise and be the best." Hawk Eye peered at me. I shrugged at him. "Well, I _am_ over four hundred. I'm a good judge of character. And somehow, you just can't not root for them." Hawk Eye smiled, and we both looked over when there was a sudden gasp from the boat. Zoro's face was nowhere to be seen, but he had raised the one sword he had left high above his head.

"Lu-luffy? Can you…hear me?" He asked. His voice was a little shaky. I floated away from Hawk Eye to be next to Luffy.

"I hear you!" Luffy shouted.

"Were you worried?" he asked. _Well duh._ "If I fail…to become the world's greatest swordsman…you'll be disappointed, right?" I glanced at Luffy out of the corner of my eye. For once, he looked slightly speechless. Suddenly, Zoro coughed, and I winced when I saw a streak of blood for a second, but he continued to hold his sword aloft.

"**NEVER AGAIN!**" Zoro suddenly shouted. "**I WILL NEVER LOSE AGAIN! FROM THE DAY I BEAT HIM TO BECOME THE GREATEST SWORDSMAN…I WILL NEVER…LOSE AGAIN!**" I could feel ghost tears streaming down my face at the effect that Zoro's words caused. "**Got a problem with that…King of the Pirates?**" It was a Samurai swearing loyalty to his Master. I knew that from then on, Luffy would have Zoro's utmost loyalty, and protection if needed.

"Heeheehee! **Not at all!**" Luffy replied.

"Sorry, Aave. No intention of joining you right now." Zoro called. I giggled, and threw Bearetta into the boat. She then grew in size and came to life, with supplies to sew the wound and bind it.

"NO INTENTION OF LETTING ANY OF YOU YET!" I shouted back. Bearetta descended upon her patient.

"They make a good team." I heard Hawk Eye say. In a louder voice, he said; "I hope to encounter you all…again…someday."

"Hey, Hawk Eye." A gravelly voice said from behind us. I looked behind me to see an old man dressed in what looked to be gold armor. That was stupid. Gold is one of the softest metals out there. It didn't protect against squat, and was seriously susceptible to fast temperature changes. Queen Margareta had proven that to me when I asked her how babies were made…I never really got the answer to my question…

"Didn't you come here for my head?" the man asked. "For the head of Don Krieg, King of the East Blue?" _Wow, arrogant much?_ I looked over at Luffy questioningly. He shrugged.

"That was my intention." Hawk Eye said. "But I've had enough fun for now, so I shall take a nap."

"Try a stuffed animal for a pillow." I suggested. "It works better than an actual pillow." I tossed him a small stuffed panda. He caught it and nodded at me.

"Don't go just yet, fancy pants!" The stupid gold man said. "You've had your fun, but I've only been on the receiving end." There was some complaints from Gold man's crew members, but gold man ignored them. "NOW IT'S MY TURN TO HAVE FUN!" he shouted. "DIE!"

"You are indeed, a slow learner. Farewell." Hawk Eye said, creating a screen with sea foam. Luffy and I were blasted backwards into Joe the Fish. I actually accidently flew through a few cooks before I stopped.

"**USOPP! SET SAIL!**" Luffy shouted at the boat.

"..! AYE AYE!" Usopp shouted back. "Zoro and I will go after Nami! You two get that cook to join us! AND WHEN WE'VE GOT EVERYBODY TOGETHER, WE'LL SAIL FOR GRAND LINE!" He tossed Luffy's hat back, and Luffy caught it.

"RIGHT!" Luffy shouted. "LET'S DO IT!"

"BEARETTA HAS TWO HOURS BEFORE SHE DISAPPEARS, DO NOT INTERRUPT HER WHILE SHE'S WORKING!" I shouted when I was floating next to Luffy again.

"ROGER!" Usopp yelled. I could see Bearetta's hunched back working on Zoro's wound. I looked around. Where was Gwaine? Ah. There he was. Gwaine zoomed over to me.

"Go catch up with Nami-baka, and make sure she's fine. Report back to me when we catch up." I whispered to him. Gwaine woofed his strange woof, and zoomed off. Sanji walked up to stand beside Luffy and I.

"Here come the locusts." Sanji said, still smoking a cigarette.

"Hey, mister. If Aave and I chase off those guys, can I stop being chore boy?" Luffy asked Crap Geezer.

"What? That's a deal." Crap Geezer said.

"The little Mademoiselle is going to fight?" Sanji asked. I crossed my arms.

"Fairy Queen…" Sanji was bitch slapped out of nowhere. I grinned thinly.

"This Mademoiselle has a name, Aave, is over four hundred years old, and has a ton of imagination, which is what she uses to fight. Understand?" Sanji gulped and nodded.

"Understood, Aave-chan." He said. I grinned more real this time, and turned back to Luffy.

"I can weaken Gold guy's armor a little, if you want." I said. Luffy contemplated, then nodded. I turned myself invisible, and flew over to Gold guy, where I flew through him a few times. Then, I tapped his armor, and heard the subtle ting of weakness. I nodded happily and flew back to Joe the fish. I imagined a frying pan into existence. "poof." "pop."

"That's your weapon?" Sanji asked me dubiously. I blinked at him, and then the frying pan was pointed at his throat.

"I will use this." I said. Sanji raised his hands in a surrender pose. Satisfied, I turned back to the horde of pirates who were suddenly stoked.

"Wow!" exclaimed Luffy. "They're pretty worked up! This should be fun!" I grinned in agreement and expertly twirled my frying pan.

"Hey, Mister!" Luffy said, turning to the Crap Geezer (I really needed to learn his name…). "You promise, right?"

"I couldn't hope for a better deal." Crap Geezer responded. "I you stayed a whole year, my ship would be a wreck."

"What did you do?" I asked Luffy.

"Helped out." He said with a shrug. I laughed. He probably broke everything he touched.

"Where's Patty and Carne?" Sanji suddenly asked, looking around. My brow wrinkled in confusion. Patty-cake? Where?

"Ready and itchy to go! Those two are great at times like these." I figured they may be human…so, not Patty-cake. Shame. I always loved that game.

"But only at times like these…" Sanji said. "Go to the control room and open the fins."

"Huh? You sure? Won't that give the pirates a handhold?" A cook asked.

"That's what we want." Sanji said. "If we wreck the whole restaurant, the Crap Geezer will howl."

"What was that, Crap-kid?" Crap Geezer asked.

"I said you'd scream like a baby." Sanji said, making a face at Crap Geezer. The other cook ran away, presumably to go open the fins…whatever they were. Were they actual fins? That would be cool. I imagined fins erupting from either side of Joe the fish, and flapping up and down in the water. Heh. (n.n) funny looking.

"Here I go!" I heard Luffy call. "Gomu gomu no…" I flew over to where he was and latched onto him, taking care not to whack him with my lethal frying pan.

"ROCKET!" We shot forward, and I let out a shout of giddiness. What fun! What excitement! Whoopee! "AND!"

"**GIANT SYTHE!**" Luffy used both of his arms and clotheslined quite a few pirates while I clobbered even more with my frying pan. Luffy quickly latched onto a giant log/mast when the pirates he had attacked flew into the ocean. I flew over to him after dispatching of my own.

"GOOD JOB, CHORE BOY!" The cooks shouted.

"You ungrateful jerk!" Luffy said to gold guy. "I'll knock you to the moon!"

"Don't stop there, Luffy. Knock him to Mars." I said. Luffy nodded.

"I'll knock you to Mars!"

"Heh heh." Gold guy laughed. "So you brought the fight to us on the water, where you can't move freely. I know that you devil-fruit freaks sink like stones in the sea!" I think he thought that I had also eaten a devil fruit…I giggled along with Fairy Queen and Queen Margareta.

"**Yeah, but I can still stretch!**" Luffy said, sticking his tongue out at gold guy.

"I didn't eat one." I said. "So you can't drown me." Gold Guy was about to respond when a cry went out.

"**FORWARD!**" I looked around to see Joe the fish's head turn into a tiny Joe the fish.

"JOE WAS DECAPITATED!" I screamed in horror. While I stared at Joe's decapitated head miserably, there were shouts coming from inside the head.

"_YOU'RE ON THE STARBOARD PADDLEWHEEL! YOU GOTTA ROW FASTER'N ME OR WE CAN'T TURN TO PORT!_"

"_I KNOW THAT! QUIT BOSSING ME, YOU BALD OCTOPUS!_" It took a while for the head to turn in our direction, but when it did, there was a combined shout of "**_FULL SPEED AHEAD!_**", and the head headed in our direction significantly faster. Suddenly, the head shot cannonballs. I grabbed onto Luffy when it felt like the resulting explosion was going to blow me away. Then, out of nowhere, a deck appeared out of the water next to the body of Joe the (dead) fish.

"IT'S INGENIUS!" Luffy shouted, mouth gaping. I gaped too.

"HOW FAR ARE THEY GOING TO DISFIGURE JOE THE FISH!?" I shouted. "FIRST, THEY DECAPITATED HIM, NOW THEY'RE ATTACHING A DECK TO HIM? WHAT ARE THEY THINKING?" I ignored the stares as I glared at the deck responsible for my outburst.

"Ah. A fighting deck to keep the restaurant from getting damaged." Gold Guy said. "And advantageous for us, too, since that ship will soon be ours. I want it more than ever now!"

"Do you always talk to yourself?" I asked him. "Cause you're a grown man…that's just creepy." Gold Guy glared at me fiercely. The pirates and the cooks clashed on the deck as Joe's head turned to Gold Guy and fired at him. When the smoke cleared, Gold Guy was stopping the head from moving any further, only with one hand.

"WHAT?" The two people paddling Joe's head shouted. "W-WE'RE NOT MOVING!"

"I am Don Krieg," oh, so that was his name… "Ruler of the world's seas."

"Hey, that's gonna be me!" Luffy growled.

"**I DON'T HAVE TIME FOR YOUR GAMES!**" Krieg shouted as he threw Joe's head at Joe's body. Sanji kicked it away before it could hit.

"WITH ONE KICK?" Krieg gasped, shocked.

"Good job!" Luffy exclaimed. Still clinging onto the log/mast. Was it a log or a mast? It was a mast when the ship was a ship, but now that the ship isn't a ship, isn't the mast just a log? Hmmm…oh, the cooks fell. The pirates were the ones standing now, and they were glaring at the cooks furiously. Then, the cooks launched a counter attack.

"YIKES!" a background pirate shouted. "THEY'RE LIKE DEVILS!"

"TASTE THE POWER OF SEA COOKS!" Two burly chefs shouted as they launched themselves at the pirates. I wondered idly if Luffy and I were supposed to attack Krieg now…then I noticed a weird circular thing floating in the water, with what looked like a giant pearl in the middle. Then, it hoisted itself onto the deck, and the cooks were down for the count…again. I glanced at Luffy, who nodded, and flew over to the circle with a pearl in the middle. Turned out to be a middle aged guy with really greasy hair. XP yuck! I turned invisible and flew in front of him, wound up, and smacked him square on the face with my frying pan. There was silence as the man staggered backwards a few feet before falling onto the deck, unconscious. I whacked a few more pirates before making myself visible and flying over to Sanji.

"See? Useful." I said, holding up the frying pan. Suddenly, there was some discomfort in my abdomen area, and I looked down to see a sword protruding from my stomach. I looked around to see a pirate looking confused, probably at the lack of resistance. I shrugged, and then whacked him on the head too.

"They should know that ghosts can't die again." I said with a sigh.

"That guy's back up." Sanji said before rushing past me. I decided to follow him. On the way, we saw a pirate trying to take a knife from one of the burly chefs who was paddling Joe's head. In a flash, the pirate was down, and Sanji was handing the knife back to the downed Chef.

"**A Chef's knife is his soul.**" He lectured the pirates. "**A crap-bum like you had better not touch it.**" He turned to the Chef.

"Hold it tightly while you die. I'll take care of them" Another sword slid through me, and, not turning around, I whacked that guy in the face.

"TAKE CARE OF US?" Some pirates shouted as they rushed Sanji all at once. "A BUNCH OF LOUSY COOKS AREN'T GONNA BEAT US!"

"Margareta, Fairy Queen." I said. They appeared. "Protect the Chefs." They nodded and ran/flew in different directions. I flew over near Sanji, judged he could handle this lot himself, and watched. The pirates lunged, and suddenly, he wasn't there, he was doing a handstand, with his legs in the splits, and then he spun. This surprisingly had a lot of force, and the pirates who were attacking him went flying. At the end, Sanji was standing back up, and looked murderous.

"Lousy cooks?" he asked. "**You're going down for that.**"

***mia safoj means 'my sheep'. Aave calls the Going Merry-go this.**

**So, there was some angst in this chapter. Aave is pretty close to caving and officially becoming part of the crew, but she ain't there yet! ;)**

**Again, it will be at least two weeks before I update again. Thankies to all of my readers, and wish me luck at the farm! **


	18. Chapter 18

**_In dedication to Samantha, my lovely mom-cat who passed away, Porthos, her not-quite-as-friendly daughter, and sheep number 275, who was sick and died of old age. In their loving memory. May they have good fortune and peace in their other 8 lives (this is the last one for the sheep though :(). (Oh, but this one may have been Sammie's last, for all the trouble she got into.)_**

**Ureshiitamago: I have returned triumphant! I did not die, for the hay was too wet to bale, and we only had to trim the sheep's toenails, and clean the gutters!**

**Aave: Cute little sheepies, so soft, so warm…**

**Ureshiitamago: You're thinking about lambs. The sad reality is that sheep ****_really_**** don't like getting their hooves trimmed, and BOY, can they kick…**

**Aave: Oooh, are you okay?**

**Ureshiitamago: Yeah, I'm the one who (attempted) to hold them down for the trimming. Who knew that trying to flip a Ewe so that it was on its backside was so hard? Especially number 27. I hated number 27…**

**Aave: What did number 27 (hereby named Mr. Fluffles) do?**

**Ureshiitamago: …Mr. Fluffles WOULD NOT STAY STILL! It took fifteen minutes to clip one hoof, and then somehow, she wriggled out and we had to catch her ****_all over again_****! We were beat, and it was lunch time by the time we finally finished her. (Clipping her hooves, I mean. We didn't kill her…though it ****_was_**** tempting…)**

**Aave: hmmm…you seem like you need the fairies of sleep land to help you. I'll do the thankies this time!**

**Ureshiitamago: *already asleep* zzzzzzzzzzzzz**

**Aave: *sweatdrops, and then turns to audience and claps hands excitedly* Here are the thankies!**

**We would like to thank; Luna Jinx, InnocentET, Wings of Dread, Dude That's Radical, Drakon-Flame, animebella09, Eviline, Nymphadora Jackson, Karasu-archer, Recidivism, Strange1331, wolfscry248, kimmay94, PyroKitsune, Don't question it, Astyan Askar, Moscow2009, and Tora18 for following/favoriting!**

**And a special thanks to; Cyannel, InsanityPushedMeOffTheEdge, Guest, ADDBaby, QuirkyKit, Varus the Shadow Sage, jazmin4, chaosrin, and leebee 14 for reviewing!**

**Aave: Awright! Let's get this show on th' road, pardner! YEEHAAW! Ah, but first, a response to a review from Guest~**

**Ureshiitamago: *Wakes up* wrong state! I wasn't in Texas! Oh. Response. Right. Oops. *ahem***

**WE DO NOT SPEAK OF THE UNSPEAKABLE OCCURRENCE COMING UP IN ROGUETOWN! **

**Aave: What unspeakable occurrence? **

**Ureshiitamago: EXACTLY! On the other hand, I've already written that scene, so prepare for the tears. **

_ "__Margareta, Fairy Queen." I said. They appeared. "Protect the Chefs." They nodded and ran/flew in different directions. I flew over near Sanji, judged he could handle this lot himself, and watched. The pirates lunged, and suddenly, he wasn't there, he was doing a handstand, with his legs in the splits, and then he spun. This surprisingly had a lot of force, and the pirates who were attacking him went flying. At the end, Sanji was standing back up, and looked murderous._

_ "__Lousy cooks?" he asked. "__**You're going down for that.**__" _

**Chapter 18: Uh oh, Ghost-ee-oh's**

There was a scrambling sound from behind me, and I turned to see that slimy icky pearl man back up on his feet, with a frying-pan print on his face.

"H-ha!" he said shakily, wobbling a little on his feet. "So you beat them down with kicks alone." He seemed to be talking only to Sanji. "You seem pretty clever. Is that your fighting style?"

"Oh yeah, ignore the ghost who knocked you out with a frying-pan. You make great life choices," I muttered, twirling my frying-pan and smacking a pirate on the head, knocking him out again.

"A cook's hands are his life," Sanji explained, shifting himself so that he was standing in front of me. What, did he think that a ghost could get hurt? Pssssshhh, naaw. "I can't risk damaging them in battle. I'll finish _you_ with just my feet too," Sanji finished.

"I must be invisible," I muttered to myself, staring at my hands. "That is why they aren't talking to me," I nodded, convincing myself that it really _was_ because I was invisible.

"_You're_ going to finish _me_?" Slimy-man asked. "Impossible. In 61 battles to the death, I've won them all without being cut. I'm the invincible iron wa-" there was a noise like a gong, and slimy-man face-planted.

"I hate being ignored," I said, smacking my frying-pan against my palm after hitting him. "and you talk too much. What is with people and wanting to talk during a battle? It's not ethical!"

"Oh, _now _you start talking about what's ethical and what isn't."

"I didn't ask you, Fairy Queen," I said, glaring at the downed man's head. The man groaned, and stood up again.

"I-I-I am the sh-shield m-man, P-Pearl!" He shouted, swaying on his feet. I sweatdropped.

"I gotta give him credit, he's like a cockroach," I said, crossing my arms, then flew out of the way when Sanji swung his foot to (hopefully) knock Pearl out.

"You brag well," Sanji commented as he wound up. "But let's see you beat me without being injured!" His foot swung up, and then connected with the two mini shields that were attached to Pearl's hands.

"A CANNON BALL SHOT FROM A NAVY SHIP COULDN'T HURT ME!" Pearl yelled. I was instantly reminded of Joe the fish, and started to cry.

"Joe!" I sobbed miserably. "You didn't need to die that way!"

"What's with you?" Pearl asked me. I blew a raspberry at him. *Pppptttttthhhh*

"…"

"…you can continue bragging now."

"Thank you," he turned back to Sanji. "I can take any attack without getting a scratch!" I threw a tomato in his face.

"Booo!" I called, giving him a thumbs down. "Booo! Poor performance! Booo! You suck at acting tough! BOOO!" an irk-mark appeared on Pearl's forehead, and he was about to turn and give me a piece of his mind when Luffy flew into the back of Pearl's head and smashed his face against his own shields. The rest of the Tomato that hadn't burst went flying everywhere.

"Phew, that scared me," Luffy remarked as he landed by me, and dusted off his clothing. "I'm sure glad I didn't fall into the ocean!" I threw confetti into the air.

"Splendid performance! A standing ovation! ENCORE! ENCORE!" I shouted, conjuring up trumpets to play little ditties. Luffy grins at me, then looks over at Pearl and raises an eyebrow. I looked over, and saw that Pearl had a bloody nose. Okay?

"…What?" Pearl asked, looking at the small amount of blood on his hand.

"IT'S BLOOD!" shouted a random pirate I was sure I had knocked out. "OH NO!"

"**Blood?**" Pearl asked again, kneeling. I poofed away my frying pan. Obviously, since people seemed to keep on getting up after being hit by it, it was useless. What was Pearl's deal anyway? First he got up twice after I knocked him out (with a frying pan, no less) and then he freaks after seeing a tiny amount of blood? Are you cereal? -3- boo.

"NOW, PEARL," shouted one of the background pirates. "IT'LL BE OKAY!"

"IT'S JUST A BLOODY NOSE!" another shouted. "IT'S NOT A BATTLE WOUND OR ANYTHING!"

"TAKE IT EASY, PEARL! PLEASE!" shouted a third person. I rolled my eyes.

"It's just a flesh wound," I said. "It's not like you're going to wake up some almighty goddess just because you have a nosebleed."

"My invincible shield failed!" Pearl said, ignoring everyone. "This guy is dangerous!"

"What's this?" asked Sanji. "He's acting weird…"

"Is it the bloody nose?" wondered Luffy, picking his own nose. I wrinkled my nose.

"STOP, PEARL!" shouted Krieg from the remains of his galleon. "IT'S JUST A LITTLE BLOOD! YOU'RE NOT IN THE JUNGLE ANYMORE!"

"What's going on?" a random chef asked.

"I think he's going Hulk because of a nosebleed," I remarked, folding my hands behind my head. I was about to add more, when something shot out of the water, ensnared me, and dragged me in.

"JIMMINY CRICKET!" I shouted as I submerged.

"AAVE!" I heard Luffy shout, and then it was just me, the net, and the sea. Also some kind of weird man in a suit. We stared at each other for a moment.

"…"

"…"

"…do you know why Scuba divers dive out of the boat backwards?" I asked, sitting cross legged in the net in the ocean. The diver shook his head.

"Cause if they dive forward, they fall in the boat." There was some silence, and then the diver took out a harpoon, and showed me it.

"Yeah, yeah," I said, nodding my head. "I get it, you have a sharp pointy thing. What _you_ don't get is that I'm already dead, harpoons won't kill me." The diver shook his head.

"What? Do you mean no, Aave, you're not dead?" the diver shook his head again.

"So you mean that divers don't actually fall backward because if they fall forward they'll fall in the boat?" I could feel his anger. I thought for a moment, and then made a show of thinking of the 'right' answer.

"YOU DON'T LIKE JIMMINY CRICKET!" I shouted, stabbing a finger in his direction, and then yelped as one of the harpoons just barely sliced my cheek. Pain stung my cheek, and in shock, I brought a hand to it, then gasped when I felt a small indention where the harpoon had sliced. It was a _hunter's_ harpoon. I gulped, and grabbed the net. It was made of onyx, known to be the only thing that spirits couldn't phase through. I gritted my teeth, and managed to get out the normal way, by unknotting the knot that had knotted me in the net. Once I was free, I whipped around to stare at the diver. He was a Hunter, he had to be. I grinned at him, trying to be annoying as heck.

"Hey, you know what's the best part about scuba diving?" he shot another harpoon at me, and I dodged. "It's another great activity where your main goal is not dying," I finished, racing around him and stealing his gun while he was at it.

"You are sooo dumb. You know you can only stay in the water for as long as you have an air supply, yes?" the guy started pulling another harpoon out of his suit. I glanced up at the cord that held the air he was getting in his helmet, aimed the harpoon, and shot. The harpoon sliced through that rope like it was butter, and I dodged another harpoon as the guy surfaced to the land of air. Fine by me. I flew upwards, water didn't really bother me much, just slowed my movements a little.

When I did surface, Pearl was unconscious against a fallen mast/log, and a guy with a bandana around his head was pointing a gun at Crap-Geezer's head.

"Hold it right there, Sanji!" The man exclaimed. "I don't want to kill you!"

"GIN!" Luffy shouted. His back was turned towards me, so he couldn't see that I was back.

"GIN!" Sanji also exclaimed, his back also turned towards me. "WHY YOU…!" I flew over to Luffy.

"What's going on?" I whispered in his ear. Luffy patted my head.

"Gin's captured the old man," Luffy whispered back, absently patting my head. I nodded, and we both watched the scene unfolding before us.

"I don't care if he was a living legend," the man (probably Gin) said. "Now he's just a cook. I got no problem splatterin' his brains on the deck." I folded my arms and pouted. _I_ had a problem with that. The Crap-Geezer was cool, I liked him. I then noticed that Gin was holding a broken piece of Crap-Geezer's pegleg.

"That cheat!" I muttered, glaring at the offending broken piece of pegleg.

"Here's a cheat!" a voice behind me shouted, and I yelped when a wave of _something_ washed over me, and I fell from my floating position above the deck to a flat-on-my-face position _on_ the deck. What the hay?

"What just happened?" I asked, looking around, then seeing a boy, no older than what I looked like, grinning like a maniac and holding…a hairdryer. Again, _what the hay?_ To make matters worse, he was wearing a diving suit without the helmet.

"Really?" I asked, standing up and brushing off my white shirt. "A hair dryer? That's the best you could come up with?" The boy smirked. His hair was a deep shade of blue, and cut in a style that resembled Sanji's, only longer to his shoulders. His looks reminded me distinctly of a psychotic ninja squirrel assassin, and the one eye I could see didn't do mush (not a typo) to alternate my theory, and I said as much to him.

"You are the most human looking psycho ninja squirrel assassin I've ever seen," I remarked, glancing over to Luffy and the others, wincing when I saw Sanji get punched in the face by one of Pearl's shields. Hearing a whooshing sound, I jumped to the side, narrowly avoiding a bolt of light that looked suspiciously like the light at the end of the tunnel that my Shinigami friend had told me about. Warm and inviting, like cookies and ice cream for dessert. A dream world for a child, but if I hadn't been tempted then, I really wasn't at this point.

"Nice try," I said to the boy. "But this Ghostie is content where she is now." I adopted the fighting pose of a boxer, and stared at him expectantly. Psycho Ninja Squirrel Assassin grinned at me psychotically, and then pocketed his hairdryer.

"My name's Bane, the _bane_ of every ghost's existence," he said, pulling out a crossbow. I noticed that the tips of the bolts gleamed silver. Not enough to send me to the afterlife in my ghost form, but it would if I was a physical object. Which I was. Cat dung.

_Flashback. You could skip, but that wouldn't be a good idea._

_Kebukai Saru and I didn't really get along. Actually, that was an understatement. We _hated_ each other. Even _despised _each other. Sure, I ignored his taunts and threats, but there's only so much a girl can take, right? So I would prank him. It was harmless really, a pie in the face, random bugs (that don't bite) falling out of the trees on him. Again, small things. _

_At the time, I didn't know it, but Saru was slowly compiling a list of what would send a ghost to the afterlife for good, observing me as he did so, noting my weaknesses. He noticed things like I sang a lot, I got distracted easily, curiosity always got the better of me, and I was weak after I turned 'human'. The longer the Sparrow pirates stayed on the island, the more a division became evident on the crew, and the longer Saru's list grew. _

_The division was caused by none other than Saru himself. A respected member of the crew, it was usually wise to heed Saru's orders, even if he wasn't the Captain. However, there were people that were loyal _only_ to Hoshi-chan, and I was lucky it was the stronger crew members. The cook, navigator, first mate, doctor, and a few of their strongest made up the group that was fine with me joining the crew. The rest, which was sadly, the majority, listened to the crewmembers, but grumbled, and had grudges against me though I did nothing to them. _

_I thought that I was safe. Until I wasn't._

_End Flashback_

Luckily, I was more used to the human body now, and my recovery time was shortened. Therefore, it was easier for me to dodge. This _wasn't_ going to end up like the fight with Kebukai Saru. It _wasn't_. For one thing, Bane was slower at reloading his weapon. For another, he was crazy. Crazy people are dangerous, yes, but they are easily distracted, like me. Something I could use to my advantage.

"You're loading that wrong," I pointed out as Bane cranked back the pin on his crossbow. Bane blinked, and then bent his head over to look closer at his weapon. _Now!_ I thought, making a throwing motion with my hand. "Poof, pop"

A bola, something I had read about in one of Hoshi-chan's books, wrapped itself around Bane's body, crushing the crossbow in his hands with its iron weights. Bane sputtered, and glared at me with his slightly demented looking green eye.

"That was unfair play! FOUL! FOUL!" He shouted, wriggling to get out of the offending unfair weapon. I stuck my tongue out at him.

"Who said I play fair?" I asked, folding my arms and turning up my nose at him. "I play keepsies! No one in their right mind would play _fair_ when playing keepsies," I explained, watching him struggle. Now that I had a chance to do so, I glanced over my shoulder to see how that fight was going. I winced. Not so good. Sanji was lying on the ground, looking like both Queen Margareta and Fairy Queen had slapped him one too many times. I threw another bola at Bane as he tried to get out of the first one, sending him crashing to the ground, going unconscious as one of the weights for the second bola hit him on the head.

I walked over to Luffy, who was standing by Gin, who was still holding down Crap-Geezer. I tapped Luffy on the shoulder and looked up at him worriedly. Luffy patted my head consolingly and looked back over at Sanji. There was a moment of silence, broken only by Pearl's gloating and Sanji's ragged breaths. Then, Sanji spoke, and he lifted himself onto his elbows.

"You ate your own foot, leaving all the food for me…you saved my life," Sanji rasped, and I could tell it was costing him some strength to even _try_ and stand up, but for some reason, I believed he could do it. I gripped the bottom of Luffy's shirt without even thinking about it.

"Sanji!" Luffy cried, sounding relieved.

"My surprise!" Pearl exclaimed. "How did he survive a direct hit?" There were some more exclamations of shock.

"I won't let you have this restaurant," Sanji said, standing up fully. "And I won't let you kill the Crap-Geezer either. That fool sacrificed himself to save the life of a worthless boy," Sanji wiped some blood off of his chin. "**SO I'LL DEFEND HIM WITH MY LIFE…AND PAY MY DEBT TO THE CRAP-GEEZER!**" Something inside me twitched. Paying back a deb with his life?

"Sanji! I don't want any favors," Crap-Geezer said. "I'm not so pathetic that I need a baby eggplant to protect me!"

"Who did whom the favor?" Sanji countered. "If you hadn't eaten your own foot for my sake, you'd never have lost to these fools." The twitch inside me grew bigger. It was saying something. Sanji looked like he could hardly keep his footing. I tugged on Luffy's shirt, and we looked at each other. There must have been something in my eyes that said I was going to do something, because Luffy patted my head again, and carefully detached my hands from his shirt.

"Why, why did you get up, Sanji?" Gin asked, not paying attention to Crap-Geezer, though the hand that was holding the gun didn't waver.

"HAHAHAHAHAHA! SO YOU WANT SOME MORE OF PEARL'S SURPRISES! YOU CAN'T POSSIBLY WIN, YOU KNOW!" Pearl shouted into the air. "_In this world, it's winners take all! Losers get nothing!_" He was grinning rather annoyingly at Sanji. "And whatever the prize, the winner crushes the competition! AM I WRONG, DON KRIEG?!"

"No, that's true," Krieg answered from the wreckage. I thought that he was a coward for staying over there, where no one could reach him.

"RIGHT, GIN?" Pearl shouted, looking over at Gin. Silence. "I don't even need to ask," Pearl said dismissively. "You're the clear leader in ruthlessness." Pearl turned to Sanji. My gut told me it was almost time. "We're gonna crush you and there's nothing you can do about it! SO WHY ARE YOU STANDING UP!? YOU'RE JUST WASTING YOUR STRENGTH!"

"**So that for one moment longer, this place can remain a restaurant.**" Sanji replied, looking unfazed by Pearl's speech. He even smirked. Pearl started shouting again.

"HAH! YOUR WORDS ARE SLICKER 'N POLICHED SILVER! BUT IT'S CLOSING TIME FOR THIS DIVE! FROM NOW ON, THIS IS A PIRATE SHIP! **DOUBLE CHECK PEARL…**" _NOW! _I thought, disappearing from where I had been standing next to Luffy and reappearing in front of Sanji.

"**SURPRISE!**" Wow, though I was dead, it hurt like sin! I flew backwards into the railing, cursing my humanness.

"AAVE!" Luffy shouted, though I knew he knew what I was going to do. It still must have been a shock. Meh.

"GAH! Little miss, you…why?" Sanji was in front of me, checking my injuries. I slapped his hands away, and then punched him across the snoot. Well, more like the cheekbone.

"DYING'S NOT GONNA DO ANYTHIN'!" I shouted as Sanji stared at me in surprise, holding the cheek I had hit. "TRUST ME WHEN I SAY YOU DON'T WANT TO REPAY A DEBT BY DYING!" Anger was simmering through me as I stood up.

"HOSHI-CHAN SAVED ME, EVEN THOUGH I WAS A GHOST, AND SHE DIED! WHAT IN THE NAME OF ST. BEARNABY BERRETE VAN MARCO THE THIRD DID YOU THINK YOU WERE TRYING TO ACCOMPLISH BY TRYING TO UNDO WHAT CRAP-GEEZER, OR WHATEVER HIS REAL NAME IS, DID FOR YOU? IT'S NOT HEALTHY!" I calmed down a little after my outburst, breathing slightly heavily, and glaring up at Sanji, who was standing still. Everyone seemed to be gaping at me, except for Luffy, who looked thoughtful. I crossed my arms.

"Geez, and _you_ told _me_ that I needed to be healthy by eating proper," I muttered. "Why is it that you youngins eat your own foot so much? Not literally, metaphorically. It's quite frankly disturbing."

There was more silence, before some cooks noticed that the fire was getting bigger.

"THIS TIME IT'LL REACH THE RESTAURANT FOR SURE!" a cook shouted, backing up.

"Pearl!" A pirate in the water shouted, splashing water onto the deck. "Put out your fire! What good's a burnt ship!?" Pearl snapped out of whatever reverie he was in, and laughed up into the sky.

"HAHAHAHAHAHA! YOU CAN DO SOMETHING ABOUT THIS! IF YOU DON'T MIND THE OLD MAN DYING, THAT IS!" I rolled my eyes, and looked at my hand. It was slightly translucent. I concentrated harder, and with a POP, I was a ghost again. I turned invisible and started flying through the fire, making it smaller. At the same time, I noticed Luffy biting his lip and looking a little lost. I flew over to his side, the fires now somewhat manageable, and nodded at him.

Seeming to make a decision, Luffy gritted his teeth and shot his foot straight up into the air.

"STOP IT, FOOL!" Sanji shouted, looking panicked at what Luffy may or may not do. "DON'T INTERFERE!" I appeared next to him.

"So we should just let you die?" I asked, linking my hands behind my back and looking sideways at him. "Then who would nag me about my eating habits?" Sanji stared at me for a moment, completely confused.

"GOMU GOMU NO…" Luffy shouted. I cheered, jumping up and down in the air. "**ONO!**" his foot came crashing down onto the deck, causing the deck to crunch into a lot of small islands, and they drifted a little bit aways from Joe the fish.

"HE SHATTERED THE FIN!" Someone shouted.

"THAT KID'S UP TO SOMETHING!" Krieg shouted. "GIN! BLOW A HOLE IN ZEFF'S HEAD!" Zeff? Who was Zeff?

"Hey! I never touched you guys," Luffy protested monotonously. "All I did was bust the fin." Was Zeff Crap-Geezer? That would make sense.

"CHORE BOY! WHAT WERE YOU THINKING?!" Shouted Sanji. Boy, he sure looked angry that Luffy saved his life.

"**I'm going to sink this ship,**" said Luffy. I nodded in agreement as there were several shouts and screams of protests from the observers.

"That _is_ the best course of action, considering the circumstances," I said, and Sanji turned his disbelieving stare onto me before grabbing Luffy's shirt.

"**ARE YOU CRAZY, YOU CRAP KID**" He shouted. "**DON'T YOU REALIZE WHY I'VE SLAVED AWAY ALL THIS TIME ON THIS SHIP?!**"

"But if I sink it, they get no prize," said Luffy, as if that answer was an obvious solution. I thought it over, and thought that it _was_ an obvious solution. The destruction of Joe the fish would simultaneously make the pirates go away, and save Zeff's life as well. All's well that ends well. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Bane try and get up, and threw a 12 pound weight at his head, throwing him right back into the land of nods.

"**My enormous debt…and the way I feel about this ship…you could never understand!**" Sanji said. I noticed a look in Luffy's eye. I recognized it. It was the look he got when he saw Chouchou's burning treasure.

"So you're going to die for this ship? THAT'S STUPID!" he shouted, along the lines of what I had said earlier. Suddenly, he grabbed Sanji's collar, and got in his face. Luffy looked very angry.

"**GETTING KILLED IS NO WAY TO REPAY YOUR DEBT!**" Something flashed in Luffy's eyes. "**He didn't save your life SO YOU COULD THROW IT AWAY!** **ONLY A COWARD WOULD DO THAT!**" That seemed to make Sanji angry, and he grabbed Luffy's shirt collar.

"**HOW ELSE CAN I STOP THEM FROM TAKING ZEFF'S SHIP?!**"

"Simple," I said, and the two of them looked over at me. "Beat the boss. Works in games." I gestured over to Krieg, who was standing over in the ruins of his galleon away from the fighting like a coward. Luffy grinned at me slightly, but otherwise kept his serious face on.

"Stop squabbling, you two." Pearl said, advancing slowly. "It was your misfortune to meet up with Don Krieg," his already smug mug grew smugger, and that was a serious tongue twister, I mean really…sorry, moving on. "THERE'S NOTHING YOU CAN DO NOW!" Pearl shouted. "NOT WHEN WE'VE GOT OUR HOSTAGE!" I glanced over at Zeff, who still had a gun pointed at the back of his head. I didn't think that after Krieg's crew got the ship they would leave anyone alive…

"**NOW BURN AND DIE WITH THIS FIRE PEARL!**" He shouted, charging at the three of us with his shields in flames. I think he would have been more intimidating if he hadn't freaked out over a nose bleed not fifteen minutes ago. My eyes widened as I heard a small _klack_ behind me, and a whoosh of air pass me by. Suddenly, Gin was on the other side of Pearl, and Pearl's defense, his shields, were crumbling into pieces before our very eyes.

"GIN?!" Sanji and Luffy shouted. I just floated there, gaping at what I had just not seen. As far as I knew, Gin hadn't moved. All I had for reference to _know_ that he had actually moved was the sound of the gun dropping behind me, and the feeling of something rushing past me _very fast_. It was quite unnerving, and suddenly, I felt a little scared for my friends. Because although Gin had gotten rid of an enemy for us, something told me that he wasn't exactly on our side. I glanced over at Fairy Queen and Margareta, and they nodded at me, then disappeared. They felt it too. I rubbed my arms.

"Sorry, Pearl. Step aside." Gin said. His voice was nonchalant, like he _hadn't _just beaten a person on his crew.

""WH-WHY!? GIN!?" Pearl gasped as he fell to the ground, blood spurting from his mouth.

"**GIN, YOU SWINE! HOW DARE YOU BETRAY ME!**" Krieg shouted from his little island of isolation.

"I'm sorry, Don Krieg." Gin said, not sounding sorry at all. I tried to think of happy things as dread settled in the pit of my stomach (that wasn't actually there 'cause I was a ghost but…) _Ummm…raindrops on roses, whiskers on kittens, bright copper kettles, warm woolen mittens, brown paper packages tied up with string…what else?_

"But after all, we both owe Sanji our lives." Gin went on. _Ooh yeah, cream colored ponies, crisp apple strudels, doorbells, sleighbells, schnitzel with noodles, wild geese that fly with the moon on their wings. Very pretty, especially on a ship. There was more, wasn't there?..._

"**I'll send him to the grave with my own two hands.**" Finished Gin. My eyes widened as I tried to think of the last few things that made me happy. _Girls in white dresses with blue satin sashes, snowflakes that stay on my nose and eyelashes, silver white winters that melt into springs! Especially that last one. Always pretty._ With those thoughts in mind, I flew closer to Luffy.

"**Phew!**" Luffy said, grinning and crossing his arms. "See? It all worked out!" Despite my terror for Sanji, I giggled as Sanji replied with a snarl.

"DON'T LIE!" he snarled. "You really were going to sink the ship!"

"Yup! He was!" I said with a giggle. Luffy pouted.

"Don't give me away, Aave!"

"Oh, sorry, forget what I said, Sanji."

"…I can't forget that." Sanji said, sweatdropping at the two of us.

"Aaaw," I said, pouting and folding my arms. "Sorry, Luffy." Luffy shrugged.

"It's okay."

"**Have you lost your mind, Gin…**" Krieg asked Gin when he was sure we were done talking. "**Battle Commander of the Armada?**" Oooo, Gin's pretty up there in Krieg's crew!...Was that a good thing, or a bad thing?

"Sanji, I hoped you'd get off this ship without getting hurt," Gin said, turning to look at Sanji. "But I guess that's not going to happen."

"No, I'm afraid not," Sanji said, taking a cigarette out of his breast pocket.

"Then the best I can offer you is to kill you myself."

"…Thank you. **Eat worms**." Sanji said, lighting his cigarette.

"You too, Strawhat, flying girl," Gin said, turning to the two of us. You should have left with your mates."

"Huh?" Said Luffy. "How come? I can't lose to a bunch of wimps like you."

"I'm already dead, so…" I shrugged.

"**THESE BLOKES ARE GETTING SASSY MOUTHED WITH OUR BATTLE COMMANDER…FIRST IT'S 'EAT WORMS', NOW IT'S 'WIMPS'!**" Several pirates shouted. "**WE'RE KRIEG'S PIRATES! THE TOUGHEST MAURADERS IN THE EAST-**" They were cut off by my protesting.

"AS YOU LOT DON'T LOOK LIKE YOU'D BE INTELLEGENT ENOUGH TO _PRANK_ PEOPLE MASTERFULLY, YOU CAN HARDLY CALL YOURSELF A MAURADER! TAKE THAT BACK! **NOW!** I KNOW FOR A FACT THERE'S ONLY FOUR OF THEM, AND NONE OF YOU EVEN REMOTELY RESEMBLE THEM!" The pirates muttered their apologies, and then realized something, and started shouting again.

"**HEY! YOU CAN'T MAKE US APOLOGIZE!**" I smirked and crossed my arms.

"I just did." I said haughtily, flicking some hair out of my face.

"**You're not tough**" Luffy added. "**There's just a lot of you.**" That seemed to hit the pirate's home, and there were a lot of splashes as the pirates who were remaining on deck fell into the water.

"You hit them where it hurts," Sanji observed.

"Cause it's true," said Luffy, nonplussed.

"STUPID CHORE BOY! DO YOU HAVE TO MAKE THEM MADDER?" A chef floating in the water shouted.

"IT'S DON KRIEG'S CREW AND THEIR STRENGTH IS NO JOKE!" shouted another.

"**WE'RE GONNA MASSACRE THESE COOKS NOW!**" One pirate shouted, jumping out of the water.

"**WE'LL KILL 'EM TO DEATH!**" I counted on my fingers.

"Technically, 'massacre', 'kill', and 'death' all are the same, so you just said that you'd kill, kill, kill us. It's a triple homicide. That'd be…three lifetimes in prison for each of you," I informed them. The pirates blinked, then looked at each other in confusion before shrugging and charging again.

"**STAND DOWN!**" Krieg shouted from his hiding place across the water…the coward. The pirates immediately stopped their assault, and looked over at their captain.

"B-BUT DON KRIEG!" the pirates protested.

"THESE PIRATES ARE…" Oh my bejesus. Was that one _crying_? Krieg sat down, probably trying to look badass. I thought he failed.

"Getting all worked up over being called wimps only shows that you acknowledge your weakness." Krieg rested his head on his fist and grinned. "The outcome will tell us who's strong and who's weak. Don Krieg's here, so you can quit screaming."

"How generous," I said sarcastically, rolling my eyes. "He's sitting way over there where he _thinks_ he knows we can't get him, and then talks himself up, and looks strong without doing anything. Brilliant, just brilliant."

"Are you done analyzing him?" Luffy wondered. I nodded.

"For now, yeah."

"Boy…" Krieg called, getting my and Luffy's attention. I thought I knew what he was going to ask.

"Out of the two of us, who do you think is King of the Pirates material?"

"Me." Luffy said.

"Him." I said. "It's obvious, really. There's a distinct difference between the two of you, and Luffy's definitely stronger, mentally and physically." I was sure about that. In a fight between the two of them, even if Krieg cheated, and I assumed he would, Luffy would win. It was more about the spirit then about the strength, but Luffy beat him in both. Besides… "You were defeated by Grand Line. If you had to come back, you _aren't_ Pirate King material." I pointed out. Krieg looked _beyond_ pissed at this point.

"You dogs stay out of this," He growled, standing up and held out one of his shields. It had their pirate insignia painted onto it, and it was as golden as the rest of his armor. "**I'll show that dreamer of a kid what strength really is.**"

"**WHA! IT'S THE MH5!**" One pirate screamed.

"What's that?" I asked Luffy, who shrugged said;

"If it's a cannonball, I'll bounce it right back."

"Maybe it's laughing gas?" I suggested.

"PLEASE DON! LET ME KILL THE KID…" Gin started.

"It doesn't matter who kills him," Krieg interrupted. "You know that above all I detest sentimental tripe like 'honor' and 'mercy'. This is war! All that matters is victory!" Suddenly, a hole opened up in the shield where the mouth of the skull was. "WINNING IS EVERYTHING! EVEN IF IT MEANS USING THE POISON GAS CANNONBALL!"

"**WHAT?! NOT ****_LAUGHING_**** GAS, BUT ****_POISON_**** GAS?!**" I shouted, running circles in the air.

"POISON GAS?!" Repeated Sanji, looking like he was about to blow a gasket.

"You shouldn't blow a gasket, Sanji. They're hard to replace." I informed him, forgetting about the oncoming poison cannonball for a moment. Sanji stared at me.

"What are you _talking_ about?" He asked, scratching his head, before looking back up and screaming again.

"THIS IS TRUE STRENGTH!" Krieg shouted as he fired the shield…the shield was fired…was it a bad worker or… I slapped my cheeks to snap out of my random thoughts. I looked around. The people in the water were diving, and some of the pirates were donning masks.

"IT'S COMING!" They shouted. I exchanged a quick glance with Luffy, and I soared into the air towards the bomb as Luffy charged it from the ground. I slowed it slightly by grabbing onto the tail end.

"NO BIG DEAL!" Shouted Luffy as he ran. "I'LL JUST KNOCK IT INTO THE WATER!" I frowned, I really should have been able to at least _smell_ the poison gas, but I didn't.

"DON'T! IT'S NOT THE GAS!" I shouted at Luffy, too late. Just as he was winding up to hit it, it exploded, and shuriken went flying everywhere. I grabbed Luffy's arm as he started to fall, and lowered him gently onto the broken pieces of deck. Immediately, Luffy grabbed his hurt shoulder in pain.

"That hurt!" he exclaimed. I picked up one of the shuriken and smelled the blade.

"At least the blades weren't poisoned," I said, waving the shuriken in the air and turning to Luffy, Sanji, and Gin. "Or it would have been a sad ending to the big game."

"What's it with you and games?" Gin asked me. I shrugged.

"I'm forever a kid, therefore I like games. Problem?" Gin shook his head.

"No, not really."

"HEY! THAT WASN'T POISON GAS!" Luffy shouted, looking at his arm.

"YOU'RE A LITTLE SLOW!" Sanji shouted.

"Ooo, shark teeth!" I snickered, pointing at Sanji. "Are you part fishman?"

"No." Sanji replied. I looked up as Krieg started lecturing us.

"You don't use something as valuable as the Poison-gas cannonball for this!" He shouted, laughing rather…obnoxiously. "I could annihilate an entire village with one of those! You think I'd waste it just to rub out two pieces of trash?"

"I see." Luffy said, standing up and crossing his arms, looking out over the water at Krieg. "That's one point for you!" I held up a scoreboard. There were four sections. The right side was for Luffy, the other side was for Krieg. The top half was for 'hits' the other was for 'disses'. Krieg had the only 'hit', but Luffy had ten 'diss' points.

"Luffy's in the lead!" I announced, conjuring a microphone out of nowhere.

"THIS IS **WAR**, SONNY! I HAVE MANY WAYS OF KILLING YOU!" Krieg shouted. "NOW I ASK AGAIN, WHICH ONE OF US IS KING OF THE PIRATES MATERIAL?!"

"**Me!**" Luffy replied immediately. "**You don't have what it takes!**" I marked another tally on Luffy's side for 'disses', and held it up.

"ELEVEN TO ONE!" I called. Krieg growled at me, and I stuck my tongue out at him.

"**GIN!**" Krieg shouted, looking pissed. "**DO YOUR DUTY AND SEND THAT COOK TO HELL!**" He turned to glare at Luffy.

"**As for this callowed whelp, I'll kill him myself.**"

"Um, Krieg?" I asked, raising my hand.

"WHAT?!" He shouted. I pointed over at Bane, who was still bound and unconscious.

"Was he on your crew?" I asked. Krieg suddenly looked murderous.

"MY NEPHEW!" He shouted. "NOW YOU DIE AS WELL!"

"Good luck with that. I'm already dead," I said flippantly.

"Understood, Don Krieg," said Gin, facing Sanji. "Sorry, Sanji. But you can't beat me!"

"Heh heh," Sanji replied, taking a drag from his cigarette. "We'll see about that you small fry scoundrel."

"Now, you two," Krieg said, looking positively angry. "I'll show you the armed might that rules the East Blue, and you'll see how insignificant your little power is."

"Try it," Luffy goaded him. "I'll send you flying."

"Aaaand another 'diss' point for Luffy. That makes the score," I counted the tallies. "Twelve to one."

"We're coming across, so say your prayers," Luffy said.

"Heh heh," Krieg laughed. "Why don't you fly over again?" he asked. Luffy and I grinned at each other.

"Why not?" I asked, imagining fairy dust into my hand, and sprinkling it over Luffy, who immediately flew up to join me in the air. We were about to rush across at Krieg when we heard a crunching sound, and we looked behind us to see Sanji lying on his back, being held down by one of Gin's weapons. Gin started whirling one of his weapons over his head, and shouted;

"I'LL SMASH YOU TO A PULP!" Gin shouted. There were shouts from both sides, one side ecstatic, the other panicking.

"SANJI!" The cooks shouted. Sanji blew some smoke out of his nose before spitting it at Gin's face as the other deadly weapon whizzed towards his head. The cigarette hit Gin's face, and Sanji used that distraction to hoist himself up into a handstand, narrowly avoiding having his head bashed in. There was a second of non-action where Sanji calmly set his feet back on the ground, and then exploded up, smashing Gin's face. Gin then whipped around and slammed one of his weapons into Sanji's side, sending the cook flying. However, the unbalance that Gin had from being kicked by Sanji and then simultaneously hitting Sanji sent him flying as well.

"Hey, that was cool, what Sanji did." I said. I had seen him attack before, but that was a really cool move. Luffy grinned at me.

"You see why he's gonna be on our crew?" He asked. I grinned at him and mock punched his uninjured shoulder.

"I'm not part of your crew yet!" I sing-songed. "Ah, they're standing up again."

Sanji appeared to be rather the worse for wear as he sat up, gripping his side. Gin for his part looked unfazed, only a bit of blood trickling down his temple.

"If you're the battle commander of this defunct armada," Sanji mocked, "maybe Krieg's pirates aren't so formidable after all." I felt Gin's spirit grow in bloodlust at those words.

"Hyuuuu," I fake-whistled. "Sanji really ticked off Gin." Luffy tugged on my arm.

"He's not looking this way," He said. I gathered he was talking about Krieg. "Now's our chance to send him flying." I nodded and turned invisible.

"Fly over the broken mast just in case," I warned him. Luffy nodded, and positioned himself over the mast before flying forwards. Unfortunately, Krieg noticed Luffy flying over the mast, and he turned the shield in his direction.

"Don't get your hopes up," Krieg said, activating something on his shield.

"YOU'RE DEAD MEAT NOW!" He shouted. I frowned and focused on the round pellet he had taken out of his pocket. As soon as he flicked it out of his hand, I swatted it back to his feet, and his world exploded, just as his shield did as well. I heard Luffy yelp, and I turned around to see him back on the other side of the mast, tugging a striped stake out of his leg. Instantly, I was back at his side and tugging with him. Luffy slammed the bloody stake into the deck, and placed his hat next to it. I looked at Krieg, who was frowning, the ground around him and his face singed. I giggled.

"YOU LOUSY JERK!" Luffy shouted, standing up. "YOU WANNA FIGHT?"

"Do I 'want' to fight?" Krieg asked, tilting his head to the side. He looked hilarious, the black on his face looked like an imitation of a handlebar moustache and a unibrow. "I don't require desire," Krieg went on, oblivious to what he looked like. "Battle demands only the tools and methods of death! That's armed might, my boy! All _you_ can do is charge in like a monkey."

"SKREE!" Luffy screeched, making a face at Krieg. "**This Monkey's gonna give you a nasty scratching!**" I giggled at Luffy's antics, and made myself visible in order to make my own faces at Krieg.

"**GO ON!**" Somebody cried. "**FINISH HIM, GIN!**" My head whipped around, and I saw Sanji curled up on the ground, coughing up blood and grasping his stomach in pain. I winced as Sanji's head connected with the deck. Gin spat some blood out of his mouth.

"**BWAHAHA!**" A pirate nearby laughed. "**HIS BONES ARE IN SHARDS!**" I threw a frying pan in the voices direction, and from the resulting sounds, I knew my aim was dead on.

"Those skewered dumplings you're swinging aren't much good, are they?" Sanji puffed, wiping blood off of his lip. "You…small fry scoundrel."

"**I'll finish you now!**" Gin announced, charging towards Sanji, iron clubs swirling in a deadly circle. "**DON'T SQUIRM!**" Sanji twitched, and then at the last possible second, swung himself out of harm's way into a handstand. I let go of a breath I didn't know I had been holding.

"WHAT'S THIS?" Sanji shouted. "YOU MISSED ON PURPOSE?" Sanji swung his leg down and whacked Gin on the back of the neck, smashing the pirate face first onto the deck.

"**QUIT PLAYING AROUND!**" shouted Sanji, and then he spat up blood and fell to the deck as well. I frowned, clutching my chest as a phantom pain flashed through it.

"H-HE'S A GONER!" a cook shouted. "HE CAN'T EVEN TAKE THE SHOCK OF HIS OWN ATTACKS!" I floated down onto the deck as Gin pulled his face out of it, and straddled Sanji, club raised to bash the blond cook's head in.

"**BWAHAHAHA!**" laughed the pirates. "**THAT GUY'S GOT NOTHIN! LOUSY COOK!**" There was a pause, and I fancied I could see Gin's arm—the one holding up the club—shaking. Then, I noticed tears cutting through the dirt on Gin's face.

"He's crying," I whispered to Luffy.

"**I CAN'T DO IT, DON KRIEG!**" Gin shouted, rolling off of Sanji and straightening up.

"**What?**" spat Krieg.

"Gin?..." Luffy asked.

"I CAN'T KILL THIS MAN!" Gin shouted, head bowed.

"**What did you say?**" growled Krieg.

"CAUSE I…"

"**SAY THAT AGAIN, IF YOU DARE!**"

"**That was the first time in my life that anybody was ever so kind to me!**" Gin sobbed, grabbing his headband and hanging onto it like it was a lifeline. "**I-I can't kill this man!**" There was a snort from Krieg, and I turned to see him flick a lever on his shield.

"**Imbecile.**" Said Krieg calmly. "You can't bring yourself to kill him? You disappoint me, Gin. I thought that you, of all my men, would faithfully execute the principles of Krieg's Pirates. I named you Battle Commander of my pirate armada because of your strength and ruthlessness in the pursuit of victory. I believed that you were unsurpassed in these things!" Gin sounded heartbroken when he replied.

"I'm sorry, I would never betray you. And I don't regret anything I've done in your service. I respect your strength, and I thank you. **But this is one person I cannot kill**."

I watched this solemnly, surprisingly calm.

"Don Krieg," Gin said in a pleading voice. "Is there any way, any way at all…**that this ship could possibly be spared?**" A bubble grew in my chest, and I couldn't help it, I smiled. _This_ guy had the makings of a _true_ pirate.

"**IT'S INEXCUSABLE THAT YOU, MY MOST TRUSTED OFFICER, SHOULD REFUSE TO OBEY MY ORDER! WHAT MADNESS HAS POSSESSED YOU?!**" Krieg shouted, and behind me I heard the _kachack_ of a gun being loaded.

"AAH! THE MH5!" The pirates yelled.

"PUT YOUR MASKS ON! THIS TIME IT'S FOR REAL!"

"Why you rotten…" growled Luffy.

"DON KRIEG!" Gin shouted. "THESE COOKS SAVED ALL OF OUR LIVES!" I got up off of the deck. There wasn't going to be any way that Krieg was going to be persuaded to stop the attack just because the strongest person on his crew pleaded him to.

"**Drop your mask, Gin,**" growled Krieg, the shield aiming right at his Battle Commander. "**You are no longer part of this crew.**"

"WHAT?" Shouted Gin. "B-but Don…" I heard some conversation among the rest of Krieg's crew.

"The Don's gonna kill Gin!"

"You're addled! He wouldn't go that far! Gin's Don Krieg's right hand!"

"Aye, nobody ever served him as loyally as Gin."

"Remember that time? We had just escaped from the Grand Line…Ironfist Fullbody's squadron was chasing us, and Commander Gin disguised himself as the Don, and acted as a decoy!"

"He's put his life on the line many times for Don Krieg."

"Aye, he always executed the Don's orders with Demonic ferocity! How could Don kill a man like that?!" _He could, and he would. And if what they're saying about Gin is true, he's gonna follow Krieg's orders to basically commit suicide! _A chill ran through me, and I remembered that Bane was still knocked out. He was only a few feet away from me, and I tensed myself to rush for him. I didn't like Hunters, but I didn't want this one dead. He was fun to play games with.

"**DROP THAT MASK!**" Krieg demanded, his aim never wavering.

"YOU THINK I'D LET YOU SHOOT THAT?!" Luffy shouted, and before I could say _golly gee willikers_, he was running over the mast, his fairy dust having worn off.

"**OUTTA THE WAY!**" Krieg shouted, sending more stakes in Luffy's direction.

"You won't hit me again!" Luffy announced, swinging around the mast and attaching himself underneath it. He then started crawling across the bottom like a monkey.

"Woohoo! Go Luffy!" I shouted, shaking my pom poms.

"Anchor boy!" shouted Krieg, winding up and aiming at the mast. "I'd have killed you even if you hadn't interfered!" With a resounding **KRACK!**, the mast broke, and Luffy scrambled back to our side of the wreckage, avoiding the stakes that were shot at him.

"GIN!" Luffy shouted after he landed safely back on our side. "Don't listen to that pansy Krieg! I'M GONNA CLOBBER HIM!"

"**HEY BRAT!**" Gin yelled. "**DON'T BELITTLE DON KRIEG!**" The three of us, Luffy, Sanji, and I, stared at Gin in disbelief as the man continued talking. "Don Krieg is the mightiest man alive. A runt like you could never defeat him."

"WAKE UP, GIN!" Sanji shouted, grabbing Gin's shoulder. "YOU'RE HERO'S TRYING TO KILL YOU!"

"Of course." Gin said, as if what he was about to say was the most obvious thing in the world. "I'm a coward who let foolish sentiment get in the way of duty. **I deserve to die.**" And with that, before anyone could move, Gin threw his mask into the ocean. I sputtered in anger. An _idiot_! There was an _idiot_ in our midst!

"**_DEATHLY POISON-GAS BOMB! MH5!_**" Krieg shouted, launching the bomb.

"HERE IT COMES!"

"ARGH! DIVE DEEP!" As Krieg attached a mask to his own face, Luffy and I dived in the same direction. I to grab Bane's mouth and nose, providing a mask that he could breathe through, and Luffy to snatch two masks from nearby pirate's faces. Luffy chucked the masks in Gin and Sanji's direction, and I lunged for Gin as soon as he tossed the mask back to Luffy, shoving the other mask onto Sanji's face and holding it down. I clamped my hand over his mouth and nose, making sure to keep a firm grip in case he or Bane tried to wriggle out.

The smell of the gas was nostalgic, reminding me of the smell in my house the day I received my hat from my friends. My grip on Bane and Gin's noses and mouths tightened as I was flung headfirst into a memory.

_Flashback_

_It was around a week before I died. Despite what my mom said, the disease wasn't going away. In fact, it often seemed as though it was winning. I would spend days, hallucinating, seeing things like fairies and princesses, unicorns and leprechauns. _

_But there were other days when I seemed like I wasn't sick at all. These were the worst days, surprisingly. The days where I was fully conscious, aware of my surroundings, but unable to do anything but watch my friends play pirates at the park which was in view of my window. It was these days where I would _wish_ that I was hallucinating, because the things I saw on those days were always there, and they played with me. Of course, I understood that this was a bad thing, and that the hallucinations weren't actually playing with me. _

_My mom and dad would often tell me that I was getting better, and that I was going to be okay. I knew this was wrong. I had heard them talking with the Doctor, as I was getting a glass of water from my bathroom. The Doctor said that he'd never seen a disease like mine, and that it was very likely that I wouldn't make it. When he suggested telling me, my parents protested. They said that they'd rather see me smile, and have a good time, then see me lose all hope in living. _

_This obviously didn't help._

_It was a Friday. One of the days where I was fully cognizant, and staring at the window. I didn't turn around when I heard a commotion in the hallway, but I did when my door slammed open. Mary, Simon, Asahi, and Takuo burst into my room, Mary holding something behind her back._

_ "__Aave! Guess what!" said Asahi, glowing. I blinked, and shifted in my bed. _

_ "__Ummm…the big purple eyed sea serpent of Wado came and gifted the island with the ability to shape-shift?" I guessed. Takuo laughed and shook his head._

_ "__As imaginative as usual!" He said, his voice crackling with mirth. "Playing pirate's been boring without you."_

_ "__That's why we decided to make you…" Mary looked around at the others, and counted to three._

_ "__A PIRATE'S HAT!" Mary pulled a green and blue newsboy cap from behind her back and held it up for display. _

_ "__We spent all week making it!" Simon announced excitedly. "Your Nii-san helped!"_

_ "__Ihmisen helped?" I asked, staring at the hat. My four friends nodded, grinning at each other. _

_End flashback _

As the toxic smoke cleared, I was able to see clearly enough to tell that I was indeed holding the mouth and nose of both Gin and Bane so that they wouldn't die. Bane, because he was unconscious. Gin, because the stupid ass man had stupidly thrown his stupid gas mask to Luffy and was holding the mask onto Sanji forcibly.

"W-why?" He mumbled underneath my hand. I scowled at the back of his head, and then, making sure that there was no more noxious gas in the air, removed my hand, and whacked Gin upside the head. He whipped around and glared slightly at me, confusion showing in his eyes.

"That wasn't an insult," I informed him. "A slap to the _face_ is an insult. A slap to the back of the head is a wake up call. There's a difference."

"Why?" He demanded, still holding the mask on Sanji's face. In fact, I did believe that he was suffocating Sanji without his own knowledge. I sweatdropped.

"You can take the mask off Sanji now, you know," I informed him. Gin leapt off of Sanji like _he_ was toxic gas. "And as for why," Gin looked up at me, who was still holding Bane, and was floating several feet off the ground.

"I got the feeling it wasn't your time to go," I explained. "I also don't like it when someone throws away his own mask just because some idiota kapitano said so. He's not even that good of a kapitano, why listen to him?"

"You threw your gas mask to me?" Luffy asked, walking up next to me and staring at Gin.

"**GIN!**" Don Krieg screamed. "**YOU DIDN'T FOLLOW MY ORDERS!**"

"YOUR ORDERS WERE TO COMMIT SUICIDE!" I screamed back. "**YOU PECO DE MERDO*! YOU ARE A MALHONORO** TO ANY SIPANARO*** EN IU EL LA MAROJ****! MI ESPERAS KE VI MORTOS DOLORA KAJ MALRAPIDA MORTO*****!**" Once I was done venting, I glared at him as I breathed heavily. Krieg just raised one eyebrow, very unimpressed with my use of another language.

"Oh, I don't care that I essentially told him to commit suicide." Krieg said. I dropped the—still unconscious—form of Bane onto part of the remains of the deck when I heard this, body turning to ice with the amount of hatred I was feeling. Apparently Sanji and Luffy agreed with me.

"Gin, you made a mistake in choosing to follow that man," Sanji informed Gin. Gin was staring at Krieg with a completely broken look on his face.

"**_KRIEG!_**" Luffy screamed. I didn't think I had ever seen him this angry. I felt sorry for Krieg for the course of a half a second before thinking that that was what the peco de merdo deserved. 

Aave and Nappa glare at each other, and slowly raise their hands.

"There can only be one," Nappa comments, not blinking.

"I agree. Let's do this," Aave replies. There is a thunderous clap from the two of them, and then;

"_Patty cake, patty cake, baker's man. Bake me a cake as fast as you can! Rooooll it,_" Aave rolls in the air while Nappa rolls the 'r' and then his hands. "_And paaat it,_" Nappa imagines a dog and then pats it while Aave blinks at a person who had appeared in front of her.

"Hi, my name's Pat." ?_? wat?

"_And mark it with a B!_" Aave sits triumphantly on top of an oversized bee while Nappa sticks his tongue out at her from atop a gigantic sculpture of a B.

"_And put it in the oven for Nappa/Aave and me!_" Aave and Nappa finish by throwing their hands up in the air and grinning at each other.

"Sooo," Aave says, turning to the audience. "Was _I_ the winner?"

"Or was I?" asks Nappa. ureshiitamago walks into the room, twirling a pencil in her hand.

"You get to pick!" She says to the audience, grinning. "This has been The Patty-Cake Show Down, see you next chappie!"

***Peco de merdo: piece of shit**

****malhonoro: shame**

*****sipanaro: crew**

******en iu el la maroj: in any of the seas**

*******mi esperas ke vi mortos dolora kaj malrapida morto: I hope you die a painful and slow death**

**Hey guys! Sorry it's so late. Word of warning, there's gonna be another hiatus of two weeks comin' up, so I'll try and get another reeeaaally big chappie out there before I leave! **


	19. Chapter 19

**Ureshiitamago: …*^*;**

**Aave: You said ****_two_**** weeks…**

**Ureshiitamago: That's what I thought too…but then they said the trip was ****_21_**** days…that's three weeks…**

**Aave: ****_three weeks_****. Where. Were. You. *transforms into giant Oni***

**Ureshiitamago: *cowers in fear, whispers something* **

**Aave: *voice of impending doom* I didn't quite catch that.**

**Ureshiitamago: Ja…pan…IT WAS A TYPE OF BUSINESS TRIP! Don't kill me!**

**Aave: *brightens up* Well, hopefully you forgot to bring along any lined paper to write with and went slightly insane from over-inspiration and the inability to actually be able to write anything. That would be good enough punishment.**

**Ureshiitamago: *gloomy atmosphere* I was so ****_sure_**** I packed it…ah well, ce la vie. Here are the thankies!**

**We would like to thank: OreoNinja, TheSuperMario, TBM10, Monkey D. Lyna, minhthu12-Present, Freerunner447, parivo ozus 111, GrandMasters, BarleyRice, Deathmasterray, Agent DJ of Awesomenary SpyInc, tarynfire, NinjaGogeta, Hime2700Tsuna, SoraMythos9276, Shadowfir, nafara, .4710, Fun-sized Friend, and Thea TheGiraffe for following/favoriting.**

**And a special thanks to: alexc123, Varus the Shadow Sage, Quirky Kit, ADDBaby, chaosrin, guest, and Thea TheGiraffe for reviewing! **

**Ureshiitamago: There were a few questions from AC (guest.) (Btw, are all of the guests who review the same person? 'Cause it's kinda confusing…) 1. Aave will ****_not_**** get a wanted poster until I decide she will, and I've decided that she won't until after they enter Grand Line at some point in the distant future. Have no fear, she ****_will_**** receive one, but not on the same level as Luffy or Zoro (but not as low as Chopper's was…) Chopper: HEY! Ureshiitamago: You're not supposed to be here yet, go away after I hug you. 2. ^.^ You'll see! (I don't do spoilers unless they are discussing something relatively important, see above for an example.)**

**Aave: Do we even ****_do _****a disclaimer anymore?**

**Ureshiitamago: *checks* no, as far as I know, ****_I_**** ain't Oda, so if anyone doesn't know that, it's their fault, not mine. Also, Varus the Shadow Sage has kindly found me a theme song for A Ghostly Crewmate, it's called Nightcore Fiddler on the Deck, and also Nightcore: Pirate Medley…well, anything by Nightcore that's about pirates really…(the writer after listening to all of the songs she could find by Nightcore about pirates) **

**Aave: Ok. Hi ho writer person! AWAY!**

**Ureshiitamago: sorry I didn't respond to any reviews this time, I wanted to get straight into writing the next chappie for you. Without Further ado…**

_"__Gin, you made a mistake in choosing to follow that man," Sanji informed Gin. Gin was staring at Krieg with a completely broken look on his face. _

"**KRIEG!**"_ Luffy screamed. I didn't think I had ever seen him this angry. I felt sorry for Krieg for the course of a half a second before thinking that that was what the peco de merdo deserved._

**Chapter 19: Ghostesses hostesses (I dunno any more…)**

Feeling anger and hatred at that point was a given, and I don't doubt that anyone _else_ who had essentially been ordered to commit suicide by their C.O. (commanding officer people! Duuh.) would immediately disregard that order and turn against their C.O. (with the possible exception of those baka marines at Shell Island) instead of following the order. However, it seemed that Gin was adamant about following _all_ of Krieg's orders, even the one about committing suicide for just showing a little bit of gratitude for someone saving his life. Which didn't really make that much sense.

Anyway, there was a little thing called 'a time and a place for everything', and Krieg _laughing_ at us for _saving_ his battle commander was _neither_ the time nor place.

"HAHAHAHAHA!" the man bellowed, throwing back his head from the place where he was standing. "YOU FEEL SORRY FOR THAT WORTHLESS PIECE OF RUBBISH?!" Gin collapsed onto the piece of deck that they had been standing on, a blank look on his face. I felt a little nervous. The last time I had seen a face like that…_Don't think about it!_ I thought, shaking my head minutely.

"Piece of rubbish?" Sanji snarled, rolling onto his knees and looking like he was about to launch himself at Krieg at any second.

"A fool who lost sight of what was important and refused to obey my orders," Krieg explained in a scarily animated voice, "is of no use to me. Who's to say he won't betray me again? Killing him like that would've been a kindness, but here you all are," he swept his hand in the general direction of the five of us, "_saving_ his life when he really should be dead or dying," I snapped, and with a sweep of my arm, dozens of icicles were shot at Krieg, shattering themselves against his armor. I blinked, and then looked at my arm. It seemed to be covered in frost. I smelled it. Yup, definitely underworldy smelly. So this is what happened when I lost my temper enough. Good to know.

"Go and die, Gin," Krieg said. I balled my fists and directed all of my freezing cold stare at Krieg, who didn't even flinch before continuing trying to make Gin commit suicide.

"You're an eyesore to me now, and-" he was broken off by Luffy.

"Don't listen to him, Gin," said Luffy quietly, causing Sanji, Gin, and I to look over at him. "LIVE TO SPITE HIM! OKAY?" shouted Luffy, gritting his teeth. "I'LL SEND HIM FLYING FOR YOU!" I looked at my hands, which were both covered in flexible ice now, and then looked back at Luffy thoughtfully. Idea, ding ding ding. Lightbulb.

"Don't go against Krieg…" murmured Gin, still looking depressed and lost. Luffy made to run at Krieg, but was stopped by Sanji grabbing his arm.

"CALM DOWN, CHORE BOY!" yelled the blonde, holding his side with his free hand. "IF YOU CHARGE IN, YOU'LL BE PLAYING RIGHT INTO HIS HANDS! YOU'LL BE KILLED!"

"**I won't die,**" said Luffy, shaking off Sanji's hand. I flew over to Luffy's side, hesitated a moment, and then gingerly touched his arm. As I suspected, the flexible ice covering my arms transferred to Luffy, and he blinked in surprise at the new armor. Luffy gave me a small smile, and then rushed towards Krieg.

"IF YOU WANT TO SHOOT ME, THEN GO AHEAD!" shouted the raven haired boy, sounding all for the world like a madman. I flew after him, intent on actually helping fight this time.

"The fools…" I heard Krieg sneer as we rushed towards him. "There's no enemy so easy to kill as an enraged one," I gritted my teeth and put all the cool hatred I could muster into a glare. If there was one thing I hated, it was bastards like him!

"I heard that even a monkey can learn!" goaded Krieg, "but you persist in your mistakes! A monkey is a genius next to you!"

"I don't give up so easily!" retorted Luffy, still running full tilt with me flying by his side.

"THE OCEAN IS YOUR NEMESIS!" shouted Krieg, aiming his arm-gun at the mast that was Luffy's only bridge towards him. "IF YOU FLY AT ME, YOU'LL MAKE A LOVELY TARGET FOR MY STAKES!" a few cannonballs flew out of the arm-gun and into the water. "BEYOND THAT FIN, YOUR GRAVE AWAITS!"

"_My_ grave?" asked Luffy, leaping up onto the mast and running across as the cannonballs exploded in the water, creating a wall of water no one could see through. I heard a faint whistle, and intercepted it with some other-world ice before it could hit Luffy, then I intercepted two more. Unfortunately, one got past my defense, and I cringed when it hit Luffy in his left shoulder.

"invisible…" hearing Luffy's whisper, I quickly faded into nothing, and flew faster than I had before. What was fueling me was anger, and it was a great ally in a situation where you need anger to fuel the iciness of the underworld. I waited until Luffy set up another water-screen with his foot, and then covered the spiky armor that Krieg had wrapped around himself in cold, making it flawed, easily breakable.

"TRY PUNCHING MY PORCUPINE-CAPE, BOY!" shouted Krieg as Luffy flew at him, his right fist stretched behind him, getting ready for a gomu gomu-pistol.

"**Gomu gomu no…**" I estimated where his fist would land on the spiky armor, and then made it even more flawed with the cold.

"**PISTOL!**" shouted Luffy as his fist made contact in the exact place I had weakened. There was a **crack**! And Krieg's cape/armor thing shattered, allowing Luffy's fist to slam into his jaw and send Krieg flying. Though I had weakened it enough that a hit of that strength would shatter the armor, I still was unable to make the spikes go away, so I flinched when I saw Luffy's bloody hand, but it only served to make me angrier. How _dare_ that _peco de merdo _cheat in a way that made _mia kapitano_'s hand bleed!

"HE PUNCHED THE PORCUPINE AND IT SHATTERED!" Some cooks shouted, looking bewildered that such a thing could possibly happen.

"WAAAAH!" yelled the background pirates, "DON KRIEG'S BEEN KNOCKED OUT!"

"Serves him right," I muttered, crossing my arms and sticking my tongue out at the currently unconscious conceited rat…big rat…very big rat…could rats even grow to be that size?...I shook my head, now wasn't the time to be thinking about useless things like how big a rat could grow.

"So, who's grave…" said Luffy, lifting up his hand to grab the spike sticking out of his shoulder. I flew over and placed my hand around it so that it would be less painful to pull out.

"is this…" he grabbed onto the spike.

"…again?" there was a _shluk_ as he started to pull the spike out of his shoulder.

"Mine…" I tried not to notice his blood on my hands, focusing instead on Luffy's words, and the prone figure lying on the ground.

"…or yours?" the stake was pulled all the way out now, and I pressed my hand firmly down on the wound, willing a tiny bit of ice to cover the top, a temporary bandage so he didn't lose too much blood all at once. Luffy grinned at Krieg, though it looked a little menacing, and thrust the bloody spike in the older man's direction.

"**See?**" Luffy said, sweating a little from the effort of pulling a spike out of his shoulder. "**Don't count us out just 'cause you have sneaky weapons and a spiked cape! This isn't my place to die!**" A shudder passed through Krieg's body as he moved his hands under himself and started to lift himself off of the ground.

"If this isn't your place to die," growled the man as he raised himself up and towered over Luffy, raising his shield, "THEN TELL ME," he swung the shield down, and I squawked as it passed through me and hit Luffy's whole body. "**WHOSE PLACE TO DIE IS IT?! **IT'S YOURS, AFTER ALL!" I stared at the rod protruding through my body and frowned. Suddenly, the whole thing was covered in ice, and I flitted to the side, summoning up a reeeeaaaally big (and super heavy) frying pan "poof" "pop". I then brought it down on the rod as Luffy landed a hit with his foot on Krieg's jaw. The rod snapped in two, and the pieces fell harmlessly to the ground.

"**No!**" Luff shouted as Krieg flew backwards onto the ground once again. "**It's still yours!**" Luffy landed on his feet on the other side of the piece of wreckage we were fighting on while Krieg flopped to the ground again. I smirked as I flew over to rejoin Luffy, looking at him with questioning eyes. He nodded to me, and I made myself visible again, frying pan and all. The background pirates yelled something about Luffy, and then how Krieg's reputation was going down the drain with this fight, and I laughed a little when yelled at them before leaping up and whipping around to look at us with slightly crazed eyes.

"YOU!" He yelled, pointing at me. I blinked innocently and put on the sweetest face I could muster.

"Me?" I asked, fluttering my eyelashes and turning myself into a rendition of a typical horror yurei (ghost). Long black hair fluttered around my head in a non-existent wind, and my white kimono snapped like flags. "seven days…" I whispered in the creepiest voice I could before blinking. "Wrong one…" I changed forms to another woman, still with long hair, but this time in a trench coat, holding overly large scissors, and a scar running diagonally across my face. I let my jaw drop open, and the scar opened up with my mouth, creating a ghastly sight.

"Am I…pretty?" I asked, tilting my head to the side a little, and staring at Krieg with wide eyes. Krieg stared back at me with wide eyes. Was it just my imagination, or did he look a little pale and shaky? I held my position and attempted not to giggle. Attempted being the key word. Hey, who can blame me, a freakin _ten year old kid_, for thinking this kind of situation especially funny? No one? Thought not.

I giggled. But instead of it ruining the moment like I thought it would, I swore Krieg jumped a little before hardening his gaze.

"YOU BROKE MY ROD!" He shouted, and I changed back to my normal form with a pouty face. I crossed my legs like I was sitting on a chair in mid-air and glanced over at Luffy, who shrugged with a bemused expression on his face.

"Umm, yeah," I said, looking back at Krieg, a bemused smile plastering itself on me own face. "It's a fight, that's kinda the point, yo." Krieg sputtered with rage. I looked over at Luffy again.

"What did he say when we were running over here, 'there's no enemy so easy to kill as an enraged one', was it?" Luffy nodded. I nodded, and pointed over at Krieg.

"Hulk mad," I stated. Krieg let out a roar and brought his fist down on the piece of wreckage, smashing it in half.

"HULK SMASH!" I shouted, giggling as I flew in the air while holding onto Luffy's left arm. We were floating above the now two piece wreckage. Krieg roared again, and swung his shield at us. I strained upwards, and just managed to lift Luffy up high enough that the shield just barely _didn't_ reach the bottom of his sandal. It was a close call though. Krieg breathed heavily, and then seemed to get a grip on his anger.

Coolly, he reached down and grabbed the spear thing with the shattered shaft, and with a grunt, fit his shield onto the back of the end of the spear.

"What the chicken?..." I asked, trailing off as I saw the awed looks on the background pirates faces.

"THAT'S IT!" they shouted. I wondered how they could all be in perfect synch. Were they all brothers? "DON KRIEG'S DEADLIEST WEAPON!" I stared at the round goldeny disk thing with a pointy tip attached to a broken shaft. If you ignored the _broken shaft_ bit, it looked like it _might_ have been a formidable weapon…maybe…would be cool if it could blow things up though. Wait, it was directed at them…maybe not…

"Let's see how long you can survive now," crowed Krieg, as if he didn't have a broken nose and jaw, and probably a major concussion. Ew, that was a long word…

"You'll find this a bit more injurious than those stakes…"

"…the only thing I'm scared of is you going insane…" I muttered under my breath. Luffy chuckled a little before looking back at Krieg.

"What kind of spear…thing…is it?" asked Luffy, staring at the shortened handle.

"**IT'LL BLOW YOU TO SMITHEREENS!**" yelled Krieg, laughing madly and swinging the shortened spear over his head, aiming up at us. I yeeped and zoomed to another mast, setting Luffy down just out of reach of the spear…thing. I breathed a sigh of relief before I processed his words properly, and then I gulped, dread pooling in my stomach. Did he just say…

**_KABOOM!_**

Evidently, yes…he _did_ say it would blow us – and by _us_ I mean Luffy – to smithereens. I was only blown backwards a mile or two. _Only_. I hated being a ghost sometimes.

Helloignorethelinebreak

I grumbled angrily as I flew towards the direction (I thought) Joe the Fish was.* When I got back (and I refused to think _if_), I would have words with Krieg about throwing innocent little ghosts away from battles just because they happen to be _lighter_ than other people! This should be taken to the Ghost Union…

As I flew, looking around me in all directions and grumbling out my frustrations to a recently returned Bearetta, I saw a sudden burst of smoke, and then, seconds later, somersaulted in the air a few times when the explosion noise reached me. I flipped myself upright and stared wide eyed in the direction the noise and smoke came from. Well, there was _one_ way to find Joe the Fish.

"Follow the explosions…I'd rather follow a yellow brick road with a Tin man, a scarecrow, and a cowardly lion…" I sighed, stuffing Bearetta under my hat and flying in the direction of the explosion. After _that_ experience, I had developed a healthy dislike of explosions and their after effects in general. _This is _definitely _being taken to the Ghost Union…_ I thought to myself, cringing.

I arrived in time to see a figure dressed in gold flying, psychotically laughing his head off and yelling at another figure who was standing on top of the tallest mast. I felt a shock go through me as I realized it was Luffy standing up there, looking like a singed, bloody statue at the end of his limits.

"HAHAHA!" Krieg was yelling as he fell, "YOU FAILED! YOUR STRENGTH IS GONE! BUT I APPLAUD YOU! YOU MANAGED TO PUT A TINY CRACK IN MY ARMOR!" _Oh no he didn't!_ I thought, zooming over to Luffy and putting a little boost of life energy in him.

"**DIE WITH PRIDE!**" I entered the man's armor as the mother of all explosions went off.

Hellodon'thurtmeI'malinebreak

I grinned as Luffy burst out of the resulting smoke, fists stretched high into the air. He looked pissed. I giggled, and got ready to burst out.

"GOMU GOMU NO…" Luffy grinned as Krieg exclaimed in disbelief. I powered up my otherworld ice, and filled the armor to the brim with the very thing that would weaken it, then got the heck out.

"**BAZOOKA!**" Gone was Krieg's armor, blood splurted out of his mouth, and his eyes rolled into the back of his head. I flew over Luffy, and grabbed him under his arms to keep him from falling too fast. I couldn't stop his fall entirely, since I was also running out of steam, but I _could_ slow his descent so that I could get him safely to Joe the Fish. We were staring down at the falling man for a few seconds, his subordinate's shouts all around him, when Krieg's eyes suddenly snapped open, and he barked out an order.

"SILENCE, FOOLS!" with that, he shot a net that encircled – to my surprise and horror – both Luffy and I, crushing me into Luffy's back as our nice and gentle descent suddenly turned into a rocketing fall.

"Eh? You're still alive?" Luffy exclaimed as we became trapped.

"Ow!" I squeaked as the net dug into my back.

"HAHAHA! THE BOTH OF YOU WON'T ESCAPE MY IRON-ONYX NET!" Krieg's laugh turned almost maniacal. "**THAT'S THE SEA BELOW YOU! YOU LOSE, ANCHOR-BOY! ALL I HAVE TO DO IS TOSS YOU INTO THE OCEAN!**" His voice pitch went up a couple notches, making him sound slightly insane…making me quite scared indeed. "**AND I GET THE LAST LAUGH, AS I KNEW I WOULD!**"

"Help me get my arms and legs out!" ordered Luffy. I grunted, and started hurriedly pushing his rubber limbs through the holes in the net. With a pop, his arms and legs were free, and he was glaring at Krieg.

"If I can get my arms and legs out, this match is mine!" He informed Krieg, twirling his legs around the net and grabbing Krieg's face with his feet. When he was done (and we were still falling, mind. Can't forget about that, eh?), his legs looked kinda like a spring, and I was instantly reminded of pogo sticks. Those were fun to play with…*slaps cheeks repeatedly*

"MEN! KILL THIS PEST!" shouted Krieg, a little panicked, I thought. We were so close to the ocean now, I could feel the mist on my face (onyx net, remember?), and I could smell the sea breeze.

"THIS IS THE END!" Luffy shouted, diving towards the water, using our combined weight to flip Krieg over so that he could crush the guy on what was left of Joe the Fish's fin. As we were aiming at the Fin, Luffy's legs started to unravel, spinning Krieg at an almost inhuman speed.

"**_GOMU GOMU NO…_**" shouted Luffy, looking more determined than I'd seen him before,

"**_GIANT GAVEL!_**" With a resounding smash, Krieg's head collided with the Fin, and I knew, even as Luffy and I hit the ocean, that Luffy had won. The small 'heh' I heard from Luffy told me that he knew this as well, and with a splash, we entered the water.

I was quick, and I was strong, but not quick enough or strong enough. Not when Onyx was there to leech my ghostiness so that I couldn't even untie the knot on the bottom of the net. It didn't help matters much that Luffy was a Devils' Fruit user, and therefore was a dead weight in water. I gritted my teeth, and started swimming upwards, my face aching with the pain of an Onyx net cutting into my skin. I was only able to stop us from moving any farther down, and I felt something akin to panic. Would Luffy die here? No, he couldn't die. Not like Hoshi-chan!

_Flashback_

_It was at the seaside, I remembered because I could feel the sand under my hands as I build the sandcastle, humming quietly to myself. A song without words, I had been taught it by one of the last elders to live on the island waaay back when people still visited. _

_It was night. I remembered because I looked up at the stars and grinned, trying to find the first star to the right, though I knew I could never follow it to Neverland, the not-island's hold on me was still there. Weak, but still strong. _

_It was cold. I remembered because everyone that day had been wearing long sleeves, even Hoshi-chan. When I asked, she just laughed and patted my hat. _

_ "__It's winter!" she explained, pointing up at the sky. I grinned and nodded. It was winter, that meant snow. _

_It hurt. I remembered that. I remembered that vividly. The first dash of pain across my upper left arm, turning around to see Saru sneering at me, pointing a loaded crossbow, Onyx tipped arrow aiming straight at my heart. Or where it would have been in life. Looking back to see the castle I had made crumpled to just a mound of sand, looking back at Saru to see him pulling the trigger slowly, as if he was enjoying seeing me suffer. Shutting my eyes, waiting for the inevitable bright light, the twang of the crossbow, the smell of blood. Slowly opening my eyes to see…_

* _Hoshi-chan stood in front of me, the eye that was blue facing me. There was a grin on her face, but a grimace in her voice. _

_ "__Don't cry, Aave-yuuyuu!" She said, blood slowly dribbling from the corner of her mouth that I could see. Her half blue, half brown hair fluttered as she bent to pick up her blue and brown patchwork top hat. She carefully set her cane on her arm, and threw some confetti in the air._

_ "__I know that you want to be scared, and sad, but don't. I forbid it. Captain's orders." She turned to me, and I could see the arrow protruding from her chest. She crouched down so that she was level with my scared eyes. Her eyes, right one soft brown, left one a blue that made her look slightly crazy, twinkled at me reassuringly, but I didn't feel reassured in the least._

_ "__It's ok. That _bastard_" she spat the word with so much venom that it shocked me, "won't be back. Ever." She took off her brown arm long arm band, and wrapped it around my bleeding arm. My blood immediately stained it white, and Hoshi-chan ruffled my hair. Slowly, I could see her eyes, once so full of life and mischief, start to dim. _

_ "__Remember to stay pure, mia etulo*, and I hope you find the Nakama who will be able to make this place let you go…" She trailed off as she slumped forwards, and I realized with a pang that I could no longer feel her soul in her body. _

_ "__H-Hoshi-chan?" I asked, hesitantly brushing my fingers against her neck, hoping to find a pulse. There was none. "Hoshi-chan?" I asked, more alarmed. She was leaning against my shoulder, and in the background, I could hear the voices of her crew growing louder. Over her shoulder I could see the dead body of _him_. I sat on the ground with Hoshi-chan's body leaning on me. I stared at nothing, my brain trying to process what just happened. Then I screamed…*_

_End Flashback_

Tears prickled at my eyes, though none flowed, either because I was underwater, or because I was a ghost, and ghosts couldn't cry. Can't cry. Don't cry. I shut my eyes against the strain of trying to see, and focused all of my extra energy into my limbs, powering them so that I could lift us a few feet in the water. There was a sudden tugging at the net around my face, and I opened my eyes to see Sanji. I was never so glad to see the pervert. He unknotted the net, and I swam back down to grab Luffy by the back of his shirt. Finding only the strength to swim him back up to Sanji, hand Luffy off, latch onto Sanji's neck, and then collapse into him myself, I shut my eyes.

I knew immediately when we had breached the surface. One, because of the fresh air against my face, and two, because Sanji whapped Luffy on the head a few times.

"Oi," the cook said, "don't die," he sounded only a trifle bit concerned. I grinned slightly.

"He's sleeping," I said, letting go of Sanji's neck and swimming towards what remained of the deck, Sanji hauling Luffy close behind me. Not able to find the strength to lift myself up, I surrendered to the helpful hands of Queen Margareta, who lifted me up, and placed me on my back on the deck.

"I AM THE STRONGEST!" a sudden shout from nearby made me start, and then stare as Krieg went berserk.

"NO ONE STANDS BEFORE ME!" the obviously insane man screamed, flinging away the pirates that tried to calm him down. "UNTIL TODAY, NO ONE EVER DEFEATED ME IN BATTLE! NO ONE COULD STAND BEFORE MY MILITARY MIGHT!"

"Umm…Luffy did," I drawled, not really caring if he heard me. Luffy landed with a splat next to me and Sanji heaved himself up on my other side, thankfully not blocking the – rather funny – view of Krieg going nutso.

"I WILL C-CONTINUE TO W-W-WIN…CONTINUE…WIN!" I giggled – admittedly rather hysterically – at Krieg's descent into madness.

"**I AM THE STRONGEST MAN IN THE WORLD!**" He finally screamed, before doubling over…onto Gin's shoulder. It appeared as though the battle commander had had enough of his Captain's ravings, and had punched his C.O. in the gut to knock the taller man out.

"Don Krieg…we lost," Gin said, heaving the Captain farther up onto his shoulder. "Let's take our defeat like men and start again from zero."

"That's sound advice. He'd make a good pirate captain," I said lazily, Sanji nodding in agreement.

"Thank you for your kindness, Sanji," Gin said as he turned away.

"Sure…" Sanji said, lighting a cigarette. "Don't come back." Gin paused.

"Sanji, when that kid wakes up, tell him something for me…" there was a pause as Gin drew a somewhat shaky breath.

"Tell him I hope our paths will cross again on the Grand Line."

"You…you're still a pirate?" asked Sanji, blinking at Gin in surprise.

"I gave it a lot of thought," said Gin, "and pirating is the only thing I want to do," I rolled my head over to look at Luffy, who was still sleeping, and giggled quietly. "Somehow Don Krieg's dreams became my own," he went on, "from now on, I'm going to steer my own course. And if I do, I'll be hunted like a wolf. Loyalty to Krieg, hah! For a long time, I've been hiding in his shadow. When you really commit yourself, you don't worry about the enemy or even your own life. The kid taught me that!"

"Patty, Carne, give these guys our supply boat," Sanji ordered someone, and two buff guys immediately started complaining about having to do what he said.

"So you want to hire _all_ of the pirates here?" I asked, honestly confused. They had just fought them off, and now they wanted to let them stay? There was a pause, and then the two buff guys ran off, shouting threats over their shoulders at the pirates. I closed my eyes as a sudden weight descended on my head, and I peeked up to see Sanji's hand patting my head.

"You need to eat and get your strength back up," he said lightly, taking a drag of his cigarette. Made a face at him.

"Nuh uh!" I protested. "Being a ghost doesn't work that way!" Sanji grinned slightly.

"Oh? Then why can't you move?"

"That's an easy one, it's because I used a lot of ghosty stuff!" I cheerfully explained, grinning up at the blond. Sanji laughed, and patted my head some more before standing.

Linebreaklookpastmeforthenestwords!

I sat on the railing outside Sanji's room, looking out over the ocean and humming to myself. Thinking about the bad words I had used against Krieg made me wince, so I decided to sing the first kid song in the language Hoshi-chan had taught me that popped into my head.

**Uno, Dos, Tres Gatitos**

_Uno, dos, tres Gatitos,_

_Cuatro, cinko, seis gatitos,_

_Siete, ocho, nueve gatitos,_

_Dies gatitos son!_

_Uno, dos, tres perritos,_

_Cuatro, cinko, seis perritos,_

_Siete, ocho, nueve perritos,_

_Dies perritos son!_

I had just finished the song three more times when Sanji appeared next to me. I swung my feet against the railings – I was in my human form so that my Onyx wounds could be treated – and grinned up at him. It had been three days since the battle, and Sanji and I had become sorta-friends. He seemed more like an annoying older brother to me, but I got along with him better.

_Though,_ I thought to myself, _I still think that he's gross when he's around girls. What comes out of his mouth…ugh!_ I shuddered, making a face of disgust. Next to me, Sanji sweatdropped.

"Why did you shudder?" He asked. I flapped my hand at him nonchalantly.

"Doesn't matter!" I sang, glancing back at Luffy's snoring form in Sanji's bed. A thought came over me, and I slipped off the railing and dashed into the room, picking up Luffy's hat – which had been on a side table – and dropped it on Luffy's face. It was a rather small room, but it looked homey. I had said as much to Sanji when I had first seen it. He had subsequently laughed, patted my head, and asked whether I had a small room growing up. I didn't answer.

No, my room wasn't a small one. It was a relatively large room, decorated with paintings of the sea, small pirate ships sailing on the walls and even a cannon fight on the wall next to my bed. I would lie awake at night, and stare at that fight, wondering who won and who lost.

I sighed, and stared at Luffy. Sanji hadn't re-entered the room yet, so I was allowed to look a little sad. _Why_ did he have to be so much like Hoshi-chan? At the same time, why was he _not_ like Hoshi-chan?

'_You're thinking too deeply about this,_' chided Fairy Queen, her tiny voice ringing inside my head like little silver bells.

'_He isn't Hoshi-chan,_' added Margareta, '_he has advantages that she didn't. I don't think he would allow anyone who wasn't okay with you being a ghost onto his crew._'

I floundered for a moment in indecision. 'What should I do?' I asked them, projecting my thoughts so my two friends could hear them.

'_You should join his crew, officially, when he next asks you,_' suggested Fairy Queen. I gulped as my mind flashed again to Hoshi-chan lying deathly still in my arms. Did I want to risk it?

'_Just do it,_' Margareta sighed, '_you'll feel better for it, definitely._' Did I dare…

"**MY HAT!**" screamed Luffy, shooting up in the bed and clobbering my head with his. I moaned as I hit the floor, holding my bruised head in my hands as my own hat fell off my head.

"On your face," I mumbled through my hands, trying not to irritate the bruise too much.

"Oi! Crap-kid, don't head-butt ladies!" Sanji called through the door as Luffy shoved his strawhat onto his head. "So, you're up…" Sanji stated. I collapsed backwards onto the floor and reached my hands behind me to grab my hat.

"Sorry, we ran out of bandages," said Sanji. I stretched, my clasping hands just thaaat far away from my target.

"Don't need any," Luffy peeled off the band-aid that was plastered to his forehead.

"You don't?" Sanji asked.

"The pirates?" asked Luffy in return. I grunted as I strained for my hat. Just a liiiiiittle bit more!

"Gone, thanks to you," Sanji trailed off. There was a moment of silence where all could be heard was my unshod feet thumping on the floor as I strained for the hat.

"He hopes to see you in the Grand Line, that's what Gin said."

"He hopes to see you there?" Luffy asked, watching me as I struggled for my hat.

"NOT ME, YOU FOOL!" Sanji shouted.

"Need a little help there?" Luffy asked finally.

"Naw, I gots it!" I hissed, rolling over onto my belly and lifting myself up onto one elbow. I stretched for the hat, juuust grabbing the brim. With a shout of triumph, I leapt onto my feet, raising my hat high in the air before stuffing it onto my head and running out the door to perch myself back on the railing.

"Oh yeah, my time as a chore boy ends today!" Luffy remembered, grinning excitedly. "I made a deal with the old man!"

"Wasn't his name Zerf?" I asked, tilting my head to the side and crossing my arms, trying to look like Luffy when he was confused.

"Zeff, actually," corrected Sanji before turning to Luffy. "That's right. Congratulations."

"**So will you-**"

"I won't be joining your crew," Sanji interrupted. I crossed my arms tighter and pouted at that bit of information. At one point in the three days that Luffy was recovering, Sanji had finally managed to make me eat something – a feat within itself – and what he had cooked was absolutely delicious.

"I'm staying on here as a cook until the Crap-Geezer acknowledges my skills," he explained.

"**Okay, suite yourself**." Luffy and I said, giving up.

"TELL YOUR HAND TO LET GO TOO! Aave-chan, you're squeezing my waist too hard, please let go," Sanji said, gently pulling my arms from him. Luffy jumped off the bench, and perched on the railing on the other side of Sanji.

"After all that's happened, there's even more reason not to go," Sanji explained, going into depth of the reasons why he couldn't go. "None of these slobs can be counted on." He took a deep drag of his cigarette, found irritation settling onto his face. "But someday I will go to the Grand Line."

"Then come with us now!" said Luffy excitedly, slapping his knees. I wriggled in excitement.

"Yes, yes! Your food is the best! I might even eat a little if you come with!"

"EAT ANYWAY!" Sanji shouted before sighing. "Now's not the time." There was a pause as I and Luffy pouted.

"Hey," said Sanji, cracking the silence. We looked up at him. "Ever hear of the All Blue?" he had never sounded so happy and excited since I met him. I jumped up – having heard the story from the elders who had stayed on my island – and raised my hand high into the air.

"OOOOOO! ME, TEACHER! CHOOSE ME! I KNOW IT! I KNOW IT!" I shouted, jumping up and down on the railing. Sanji laughed and pointed at me.

"Yes…Aave!"

"It's a…" I trailed off, thinking about the long winded explanation that had come with _that_ particular tidbit of information. My eyes glazed over, and I gave a Luffy response. "a mystery ocean." I finished. Sanji fell over, and Luffy let his fist fall onto his palm, and understanding look on his face.

"Oooooh, a mystery ocean!" He said.

"Wrong!" Sanji said, standing up again. Then, he proceeded to give almost the same long winded explanation that the elder had, though he was infinitely more interesting when describing it and its history.

By the time that Sanji was done explaining what the All Blue was, I had become ghosty again, and I floated with them down to the dining hall, but outside was where I stopped.

"I'm staying here," I announced, drifting onto the floor and leaning against the railing that was facing the door.

"No, you have to eat!" Sanji declared. I pouted and shook my head, retrieving Bearetta from under my hat, pulling out some more clothes while I was at it.

"I have an appointment already, sorry, call back again or leave a message after the tone," I then fell silent, pulling a flowery looking dress over Bearetta's head and completely ignoring the two men in front of me. I smiled as I heard the click-creak of the door opening, and then frowned when I heard Sanji and Luffy talking.

"Hey, where are our chairs?" Sanji asked.

"And our food?" Luffy added. I was a little amused by this last question. Of _course_ Luffy would ask where the food was. It did bother me a little though, but I paid no mind to my feelings just then, and instead mused over my two options that were circulating in my head as I fixed a small beanie onto Bearetta's head. To join or not to join, that was the question.

I was deep in thought, and making Bearetta dance to music that no one could hear when I was brought back down to earth by an extremely loud **SLAM** of a door. Startled, I looked up to see Sanji sinking down onto the ground right outside the kitchen door, stuffing a lit cigarette into his mouth and letting his head fall onto his crossed arms. He was the very picture of defeat and sorrow. I blinked, and then scooted over to where he was sitting and lightly touched his arm, trying not to let cold seep through my glove too much. It seemed to work, because he only looked up, he didn't shiver.

"What happened?" I asked, noting that his eyes were slightly watery and looked red. Sanji was about to answer when the people on the other side of the door answered my question for me.

"That baby eggplant," Zeff's voice floated through the door, "will you take him with you?" I knew he was talking to Luffy. "The Grand Line is his dream." Sanji stiffened, and new voices joined Zeff's on the other side of the door.

"That was a mean thing Chef made us do."

"I sweated through my jacket!"

"GIMME SOME MORE OF THAT SOUP!"

"AYE! ME TOO!"

"AND ME!"

"I can hear you…" Sanji muttered, letting his head drop onto his arms again, "…you crap-jerks!" I giggled.

"Seems like they love you," I remarked, stuffing Bearetta in his face when he looked up at me.

"What?" He asked. I nodded.

"They love you, so they want you to live your life the way you _want _to, not the way you feel you need to," I explained. Sanji shook his head.

"I don't understand how you can be so much like an innocent little child, and then transform into an advice giving Grandmother," he said, chewing on his cigarette a little. I shrugged.

"About 422 years will do that to a ghost. I _am_ mainly a child, 'cause I died so young, but the years get to you, and then there're times when you _know_ things, when you don't want to know them at all," I paused, wondering how best to explain things.

"When I was younger," I started, "before I died, I had a brother," I glanced at Sanji to see if he was following. In that pause, the only noise was the sound of chewing from the other room. "My brother wasn't the best brother. He was _years_ older than me, and was always away from the island. Whenever he returned, he only stayed for a week or two, and then he was off again on a different adventure."

"He sounds horrible," Sanji remarked, straightening up a bit, attentive as I was telling my story. I shook my head.

"Oh no, quite the contrary. Despite the fact that he was hardly home, when he _was_ home, he told me stories about his adventures and misadventures. He told me of the life of pirates and their everlasting fight with the Marines, he told me of seas that were made of fire, and clouds that rained lightning. He told me of giant sea monsters as biiiiig as islands," I spread my arms wide to indicate just how big, drawing a chuckle from Sanji, "but he never, _never_ told me that he loved me."

"And you say he's a good brother?"

"I never said that. I said he wasn't the _best_ brother," I corrected, shaking my finger in Sanji's face. "He never told me he loved me because I could hear it through his stories. He never told any stories of him leaving the island, only the ones of his trips back home. And then, he would give me a small gift. It wouldn't cost anything, but they were worth more to me than anything. He would give me seashells, little bits of brightly colored sea worn glass, and broken things that washed up on different island's beaches."

"That sounds nice," Sanji said.

"There's a point to this story," I said, tapping my chin with my finger. "Only, I can't remember what…ah! It's that family shows that they love you in different ways. Family doesn't have to be blood related though. I mean, look at Whitebeard and _his_ family." I grinned at Sanji. "Them telling you to get out probably means something along the lines of 'we love you, be safe, and follow your dreams'."

"Take Sanji with me?" we heard through the doors not a minute after I had stopped talking. It was Luffy.

"No way." My jaw dropped as I stared at the door in disbelief. _Luffy_ saying something like that? NO WAY!

To be continued…

***Ok, I did this for a reason, and since I'm a little stressed while writing this right now, all I'll say is don't question it.**

*** *: this part of the flashback ****_is_**** a rerun! :)**

**So Aave and Sanji had a little heart to heart near the end! I've been wanting to write that bit for the looongest time! **

**Anywho guys, I hope this makes up for the *ahem* long absence…I ****_swear_**** I'm writing the next chapter…**

**See you soon!**


	20. Chapter 20

**Ureshiitamago: WOOHOO! 20 CHAPTERS! 100K WOOORDS! XD CHRISTMAS CAME EARLY!**

**Aave: ****_And_**** you actually updated somewhat on time.**

**Ureshiitamago: *flaps hand* yeah yeah, that too. 100K WORDS! I'M SO FREAKIN PROUD OF MYSELF!**

**Aave: Guess ****_I'm_**** going to do the thankies while she's celebrating. If she's going to be like this every time we hit another number that ends in 0, I'm going to turn her into a frog.**

**We would like to thank: khr216, xxxTasha101xxx, Every Shadow Has its Twin, Isaac Gray, kotono3, Taza1234, KingOfWhispers, .927, NeedleWhispers, Momochan77, meep15, FIRExNINJAxDROID, Forbidden Light, WrittenDragon, Smilyfrown, Insanities Travler, KarmaMustLoveMe, Guestspirit, and SweetNeroliRavioli for following/favoriting!**

**And a special thanks to: AC (both of ya, or only one if you're only one…), Cupcake(guest), ADDBaby, and alexc123 for reviewing!**

**Ureshiitamago: Ah, sorry for the long time it took to update. I had too much to do. Updates will be spotty, and back to 4k words or less, but no less than 3k.**

**Ureshiitamago: Answering guest reviews! *trumpet noise* **

**AC: I can't wait either! I'm going to have so much fun writing Brook and Aave into the same chapters! And don't worry, Aave isn't allowed in the room while I'm answering reviews.**

**Cupcake (guest): There actually ****_is_**** a romantic-ish person, but that's in flashbacks. Remember, she ****_is_**** 422\. **

**AC: Aave has actually already eaten Sanji's food, but there will be some more in this chapter. **

**Aave: Here we go!**

_"Take Sanji with me?" we heard through the doors not a minute after I had stopped talking. It was Luffy._

_"No way." My jaw dropped as I stared at the door in disbelief. __Luffy__saying something like that? NO WAY!_

**Chapter 20: How to train your Ghost **

It seemed that my inner shock was felt by the cooks too.

"WHAT?" they shouted through the door. I placed my (solid for the moment) ear on the cold wood and listened.

"Why not, boy?" It was Zeff's voice. "Don't you need a cook for your ship? Isn't he good enough for you?" I placed Bearetta's ear against the wood too, and then held a finger up to my lips and stared at Sanji.

'_Shhhhhh!_' I hushed him. The corners of Sanji's lips quirked upwards, but otherwise, he was silent.

"I'd love to have Sanji for our cook," replied Luffy, "But he says he wants to stay here." I noticed Sanji's eyes widen minutely. "You can't decide for him, he has to do it."

"So you won't take him unless he agrees to go?" asked Zeff. I hugged Bearetta to my chest and closed my eyes.

"That's right," said Luffy. "Seconds?" I snorted a little at Luffy's constant need for food. But since it balanced out my _not_ needing food, it was fine. For me at least.

"Well, fair enough," Zeff remarked. "But who knows whether that crazy crap-kid will agree to it." The sun played across my nonexistent eyelids.

"I don't think he will," a random cook laughed, "he's stubborn!"

"More food!" Luffy insisted. I lightly giggled.

"You've got a good family," I said to Sanji, my eyes still closed.

"…yeah…" Sanji absently replied. We were silent for a few minutes before a strange sound made me open my eyes and float over to the railing. I floated through, and sat in midair, looking for whatever was causing the _glub glub slap slap_ noise.

"It sounds like a fishy!" I sang, "_Old McDonald had a farm, e-i-e-i oh! And on that farm he had a fish, e-i-e-i oh! With a glub glunb here and a splash splash there, here a glub, here a splash, everywhere a glub, splash! Old McDonald had a farm e-i-e-i o_AAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!" I finished the song with a scream as the most horrible looking creature in the world came flying out of the water and through me, smashing through the railing and apparently, going by the noise, squashing Sanji into the floor. I winced at that mental image, and then giggled. Sanji's face would probably be priceless! And if he was knocked out…I pulled a familiar pink marker out of thin air and cackled evilly. I flew overhead of the damage, and was slightly upset to see that Sanji's eyes were opened. However, that feeling was forgotten in the face of someone I knew.

"Yosaku?" I called, flying down to see if it really _was_ the funny man that we had sailed with for a few days. To my amusement, Yosaku _was_ unconscious, so I liberally applied the pink ink onto his face as Sanji scrambled out from underneath him.

"He came all the way from fishman island to eat our food?" a cook wondered

"It's a man in a panda shark, moron!" Another admonished the first.

"Yosaku!" exclaimed Luffy, and then started laughing at the make-up that said man was sporting. I capped my marker with a satisfied huff, and banished it. After a few minutes of Yosaku twitching, he woke up and reached forwards.

"Unh…Luffy-aniki!" Luffy squatted down by Yosaku.

"Why are you alone? Where are the others? And Nami?" He asked, pulling Yosaku out of the panda sharks' mouth with a **shluuuck**. I made a face at the noise.

"That sounded like the Coyote finally caught the Road Runner," I said, swinging my feet. The cooks, Sanji, Yosaku, and Luffy all stared at me. I blinked at them.

"What?"

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"We didn't catch her," said Yosaku, shivering under the blanket that was wrapped around his shoulders, "but by the wake or Nami-aneki's ship, we were able to roughly guess her course."

That was good, right?

"You were?" said Luffy excitedly, "Then we can go get her!" I was floating beside Sanji, who was leaning against a wall near Luffy and Yosaku.

"That's just it," wheezed Yosaku, "the way she's headed…if our calculations were correct, she's headed for an unbelievable place!" What could be that unbelievable? Ninja starfish? Actually…that could be cool…

"I'll tell you the details later," Yosaku went on, looking slightly panicked now, "anyway, we need your strength, Luffy-aniki! Come with me!"

"Are you all in danger?!" I gasped, hand flying up to my mouth, eyes comically wide. "Are you a ghost too? Are you dead?" I flew over and waved my hands though his head, sweatdropping as he fell to the floor. "Oops…"

"Okay," Luffy said, ignoring the fact that Yosaku was now lying on the floor. "But I don't get it." He paused, and then amended his statement. "No, I do get it! Let's go!" Luffy got up, and I latched onto his back, Bearetta appearing out of nowhere in my hand. I adjusted her nurse hat, and looked over at Sanji expectantly. He did not disappoint.

"Wait," He said, stopping Luffy from standing up any further as he peered over his and my shoulders.

"I'll go. Take me with you." Sanji was chewing on his cigarette a little as he talked, but sounded like he had made up his mind. The cooks surrounding us made sounds of disbelief. Luffy stood up all the way and turned to look at Sanji so that we wouldn't have to crane our necks.

"I might as well sail with you on your quest to become King of the Pirates," he explained. "We both have foolish dreams, so I'll chase mine too." Sanji stood up off the wall and turned to face us.

"You've got yourself a cook," the blond chef said, "okay? Not okay?"

"OKAY!" Luffy shouted, jumping up and down with me giggling on his back like a lunatic. "HOORAY!" we both shouted. I flipped backwards off of Luffy's back and did happy cartwheels in the air, ignoring the tightness I felt in my chest as I grinned and laughed and sang with Luffy.

"YOU KNEW!?" came a great shout that toppled me through the wall to the outside. I poked my head back in with a pout.

"You fools weren't exactly whispering," commented Sanji drily.

"WHAT?!" the cooks shouted, looking quite enraged at the fact that they were found out.

"You went to some trouble to chase me off. Eh, Crap-Geezer?" Sanji asked Zeff. There was a (extremely) loud protest from the guy with big forearms. I launched myself into Luffy's waiting arms when he walked over to me, and smiled brightly as he held me. _Like your older brother once did…_a voice in my head whispered. I felt my smile quaver the slightest bit, but hammered that thought back into that black little hole it had emerged from.

"We're going outside," Luffy murmured into my ear, staying quiet out of respect for the strange little heart-to-heart that Zeff and Sanji were having. It consisted of them sniping at each other as Sanji walked about gathering his things.

When we were outside, Luffy sat on the railing, looking out over the ocean. I floated next to him, in a sitting position just above the railing. There were a few moments of comfortable silence. I exchanged Bearetta's nurse outfit with clothes that mirrored mine. Join the next time he formally asks, huh.

"What do I have to do?" Luffy suddenly asked, voice unusually serious. I blinked in surprise and looked over at him. He was still staring at the ocean, but I had no doubt that his words had been for me.

"What do you mean?" I asked, nervously fiddling with the hat on Bearetta's head, unconsciously changing it from a newsboy cap to a strawhat. Luffy finally looked over at me. His usual energetic face was replaced by a serious one, and it made me slightly nervous.

"To get you to join my crew, what do I have to do," he elaborated, meeting and keeping my eyes. I smiled, and reached over, tilting his strawhat so that it covered his eyes.

"You youngins' try to do everthang at once. Slow down, take one thing at a time. Wait till we get your Navigator and ship back before thinking about it," I said, turning my gaze back to Bearetta and the ocean. There was some more silence, but still not awkward, as Luffy processed what I had said.

"So, once we get Nami and Merry-go back, you'll join my crew," Luffy summarized, hitting his fist against his palm. I fell sideways.

"Not what I meant!" I cried. We were interrupted by a chef.

"I'm taking you to get some supplies for the trip," he said, and Luffy ran off with him, shouting about taking a lot of meat. Wanting some silence to think, I flew to the roof of Joe the Fish, well away from the hole that Luffy's cannonball had punched in it, and sat, singing softly to myself a song that my friends and I had sang together all the time when I was still alive.

**_Linger_**

_Hmm-mmm I want to linger,_

_Hmm-mmm a little longer,_

_Hmm-mmm a little longer here with you._

_Hmm-mmm it's such a perfect night,_

_Hmm-mmm it doesn't seem quite right,_

_Hmm-mmm that this should be my last with you._

_Hmm-mmm and come September,_

_Hmm-mmm I will remember,_

_Hmm-mmm our camping days and friendships true._

_Hmm-mmm and as the years go by,_

_Hmm-mmm I'll think of you and sigh,_

_Hmm-mmm this is goodnight and not goodbye._

It was a slow song, sung to a sad sounding tune, which had made me cry the last time I had seen them. It truly was the last time. The illness had gotten steadily worse, degrading my body so I couldn't walk as well as I had been able to. The last night before I had finally died, they had sneaked though my window and sung it to me, taking turns hugging me carefully, as if I were made of glass.

They had also recited a poem that they had learnt from one of their mothers, I don't remember who. And I didn't really remember the poem itself, until I felt a spark.

The spark was a tiny thing that had first appeared when I'd met Roger and Rayleigh. It had grown into a small spark after meeting Hoshi-chan, and then grew into a small ember as she stayed around, determined to have me on her crew. When she had died, I thought the ember had died with her.

I was wrong. The ember was, by now, rekindled and stoked into a small fire, and with the appearance of that fire, I remembered what the poem was, and what that spark turned ember turned fire was exactly. In my mind—as it was too fragile for me to say out loud—I recited the poem, my friend's voices chiming in with me.

**_'_****_Hope'_**

_Is a thing with feathers—_

_That perches in the Soul—_

_And sings the tune without the words—_

_And never stops—at all—_

_And sweetest—in the Gale—is heard—_

_And sore must be the Storm—_

_That could abash the little Bird—_

_That kept so many warm—_

_I've heard it in the chillest land—_

_And on the strangest sea—_

_Yet, never, in Extremity,_

_It asked a crumb—of me.* _

It was hope. Hope that I could have friends, adventures again. Hope that I could regain a semblance of family, even though Their lives were like a blink to me. Roger and Rayleigh ignited that hope. Them, I had to thank. Hoshi-chan blew oxygen into the spark, tending it so it wouldn't go out. Her, I wouldn't forget.

Luffy. Luffy did so much more. He was a brother. He was a friend. He was an adventure in and of himself. He took my dying hope and in one fell swoop, fanned it into flames.

I took a deep breath, and made my decision.

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Finally, the time came for us to leave. Luffy, Yosaku, and I waited on the boat (or in my case, right above it) for Sanji to appear. He seemed to have taken the longest to get ready, something that I understood completely. Having to leave a place that had been your home for a number of years wasn't really fun.

"Our Cook-aniki's late," Yosaku noted, and I rolled my eyes as sarcastically as I could.

"He's not our brother, Yosaku," I said in a matter-of-a-fact voice. "I know for a fact that he's not related to me by blood, and I highly doubt he's related to either you or Luffy."

"That's not what I meant," Yosaku said, turning to me. At that moment, Luffy pointed at the door enthusiastically.

"There he is!" Luffy exclaimed, grinning widely. The silence was deafening as Sanji walked down the line of cooks that had created a path for him to walk through. Out of nowhere, the two buff looking cooks leapt out of the crowd and started to attack Sanji with overly large spoons.

"Spoons should not grow to be that big," I mumbled, watching as Sanji K. them. "It's not healthy."

The silence was resumed as Sanji continued walking towards us. He reached the boat we were on, and held out his arms with a grin.

"Let's go," he said.

"Aren't you going to say goodbye?" Luffy asked, crossing his arms.

"That's ok," Sanji replied with a shrug, but I—and probably Luffy—could tell that he was a little sad about leaving. This was proved when Zeff spoke up from his balcony.

"Hey Sanji," he said in a gruff voice, "keep your feet dry." Sanji bit his bottom lip in an attempt to not cry, but failed miserably as the tears started welling in his eyes. Sanji swung around.

"CHEF ZEFF!" He yelled, collapsing onto his knees and bowing to the ground. "ALL THESE YEARS, I LIVED UNDER YOUR CRAP-ROOF! I OWE YOU MY LIFE! I'LL NEVER FORGET YOU!" I couldn't help but hug Luffy as the feels ran through me, and I began to giggle/cry.

"It's so touching!" I sobbed.

"YOU CRAP-HEAD!" The two buff cooks yelled, sitting up from where they had been lying. "I'M GONNA MISS YOU, GOSH-DARN IT!" The big armed cook yelled.

"I'LL MISS YOU TOO!" The other one added, clenching his fists. I was crying, Sanji was crying, the cooks were crying, even _Zeff_ was crying (just a little). Hey, I can't help crying over stuff like this. Soppy romantic stuff…YUCK! This kind of stuff? _All_ of the sobs!

"WE'RE ALL GONNA MISS YOU!" The cooks shouted. "IT'S SO SAD!"

"Sentimental fools," Zeff said with a sniff, head in his hands. "A man outta take his leave quietly."

Sanji boarded, still crying, and we set off.

"WE'RE OFF!" Shouted Luffy, raising his hands to the sky. "SET SAIL!" We were sent off with cheers from Joe the Fish, and it took a while to calm down and stop crying. (I really couldn't get over the fact that there were honest to goodness _tears_ running down my face, although they weren't real.)

Luffy and I were playing patty-cake while Yosaku blubbered and sobbed over how touching the send-off was. Finally, Luffy had enough and turned over to stare at Yosaku.

"How long are you going to keep blubbering?" He asked, raising an eyebrow. "Cheer up."

"**Bud id was all so booving!**" Yosaku cried, crying rivers and continually wiping his eyes. "**Such a beautiful leab-taking, cook-abiki!**"

"Can you even see to steer this tub?" Sanji asked, sweatdropping at Yosaku.

"Calm down," I added, casually drawing a pink cat on the back of Yosaku's coat. "You don't see _me_ crying, do you?"

"You're a ghost," Yosaku deadpanned before going back to crying his eyes out. I gasped and pouted. Well, he didn't need to point out the _obvious_. This called for serious payback. I started to giggle manically as I thought up different pranks I could pull on Yosaku.

"Ahhh, I can't wait to get Nami back and head for the Grand Line!" Luffy said as he sat on the bow, stretching his arms above his head (the normal way).

"Look," Sanji said. "Even if you get Nami back, there'll still only be six of us." As he said this, Luffy whipped his head around to stare at me, waiting to see if I would protest that I was added to the group. I shrugged and went back to planning, not missing the victorious spark in Luffy's eyes.

"You really plan to take on the Grand Line with such a small crew?" Sanji went on, evidently not noticing the silent exchange between Luffy and I. "The sea doesn't give many second chances."

"And you've used yours up," I said in a creepy voice, allowing my aura to darken around me as I drifted closer to Sanji. "Who knows, _they_ might come for you in the middle of the night…the…SPIRITS OF THE SEEEEAAAA!" I screamed and burst into a firework, reforming when the ash hit the ground.

After a few minutes of laughing and Sanji crying and telling me not to do that again, Luffy replied to the question that Sanji had posed.

"I'll gather more crewmen when we get to the Grand Line! After all, it's Paradise. We'll be sure to find people who won't be scared of ghosts there," I fought the urge to hug Luffy, and instead did happy cartwheels in the air.

"Paradise?" Sanji scoffed. "It's the Pirate's Graveyard!"

"That's not what Chef Zeff told me!" Luffy said with a grin, laughing a little. "He said for some people that the Grand Line is a 'Paradise'." I thought for a moment about what he said.

"You know," I said thoughtfully, recalling a meeting a few years prior to meeting Luffy. "I was told once that it was called 'Paradise' because the second half of Grand Line was ten times worse." There was a moment of silence before Luffy started to laugh manically.

"That's great!" He exclaimed, jumping up and down, excitement in his eyes. "That sounds like fun!"

"The Crap-geezer said _that_?" Sanji said, obviously stuck on the word 'Paradise'. "Well, if Nami was with me, I wouldn't care if there were only two of us…" Immediately, his face took on a lecherous look, and I smacked him on the face with a frying pan.

"NOOOOO! NO YUCKY-TALK! NOOOOOOO!" I screamed, curling up on the floor of the boat and covering my ears. Not that it helped…

"YOU'RE TAKING THIS TOO LIGHTLY, ANIKI'S AND ANEKI!" Yosaku shouted. He pointed at Luffy. "You don't know what the Grand Line is like!" he accused. "Even Zoro-aniki would be intimidated if he knew the truth!" Somehow, I _really_ doubted that Mr. I-have-two-arms-not-three-and-_no_-I'm-not-letting-that-go would be intimidated by…well…_anything_ really.

"Nami-aneki is on a collision course with one scary guy!" Yosaku went on, slamming his hand down onto one of his knees. "You mark my words!"

"Time to eat," Sanji said, standing up.

"YAY!" Luffy shouted. Sanji started to walk past me, but then stopped and looked down. I stared at him, confused, until I understood what he was silently demanding. I nodded.

"Fine, I'll eat…but just a little." Sanji made a satisfied noise, and started to walk into the kitchen before he was stopped by a shout.

"WAIT!" shouted Yosaku, crying at the little to no attention he was receiving.

"You need to understand what we're sailing into!" He said harshly. We gathered around him.

"Shhhh," I said to Sanji and Luffy. "Papa Beaver's going to tell a story." I nodded sagely and sat, staring at him, hands folded politely in my lap. Luffy mimicked me, while Sanji chuckled a little before sitting back down.

"There's a reason the Grand Line is called the Pirate's Graveyard," Yosaku explained. "It's 'cause of the three great powers that rule those waters. One of those powers is **the Seven Warlords of the Sea**."

"The who?" Sanji asked.

"The seven government recognized Pirate leaders." Yosaku elaborated.

"What? Why would the government recognize pirates?" Sanji asked. Luffy looked over to me in confusion, but I shook my head, just as confused as he and Sanji were. Yosaku sighed and shook his head at our ignorance. I twitched a little. How I stopped myself from smacking him upside the head, I have no idea.

"The Seven Warlords of the Sea inhabit wild regions, and unlicensed pirates are easy targets for their marauding. The government allows the Seven Warlords to raid the seas in return for a cut of their haul. Other pirates call them 'Government Dogs', but they're tough!" Yosaku's fists clenched and he gritted his teeth. "Remember Hawk-eye Mihawk who defeated Zoro-aniki? He's one of the Seven!" Surprisingly enough, I wasn't really surprised at that little tidbit of information.

"WOOW!" Luffy shouted, clapping his feet together, eyes wide, "There are six more like him?! The Seven Warlords must be impressive!" I nodded.

"They must be gigantic monsters who roam the seas, looking for little tiny pirates to chew up and spit out!" I said with a grin.

"Not…really…" Yosaku muttered, bowing his head. "The problem is one of the Seven. **Jimbei, the leader of the Fish-man pirates!**"

"Fish-man pirates!" Luffy repeated, crossing his arms. "Never met 'em!"

"Of course you haven't," I said, hitting his shoulder lightly. "They don't generally go near humans."

"Fish-men, huh?" Sanji crooned, an expression that was getting waaay too familiar on his face appearing as he stroked his chin. "Fish-man Island in the Grand Line is famous, isn't it? I've heard there are beautiful mermaids there!"

"NO! KEEP THE COOTIES AWAY!" I shouted, crossing my two forefingers and thrusting them in Sanji's face.

"ANYWAY!" Yosaku shouted, trying to get our attention back (needless to say, it didn't work). "In exchange for becoming one of the Seven Warlords, Jimbei released a holy terror into the East Blue…" He trailed off as he noticed that we weren't listening. Sanji and I were laughing at Luffy's attempts to draw a mermaid. What he'd actually done was draw a fish, and then add four legs onto the bottom. It. Was. Hilarious!

"What an ugly fish!" Sanji wheezed, holding his stomach.

"CAN'T YOU THREE STAY SERIOUS FOR A MINUTE?!" Yosaku shouted.

"No." I deadpanned. Yosaku sighed.

"Fine, we'll skip the history lesson," he said, sitting back down.

"Right now, we're heading for _Arlong Park_-" he was interrupted by me.

"Oooooo! Do they have a Ferris wheel?" I asked excitedly, grasping my hands together under my chin. "Or-or-or a Merry-go-round?" My eyes were sparkling by this point. Yosaku violently shook his head and his hands at the same time.

"No! It's not _that_ kind of park!" I deflated.

"Oh…" I started drawing sparkly sad faces on the bottom of the boat with my finger.

"Anyway," Yosaku went on after a semi-awkward pause wherein Luffy was also pouting. "Alrong's a fishman. He used to be Jimbei's equal. This is his territory! He makes Don Krieg look like a pussy-cat!" I frowned at this and looked up.

"But you turned back halfway, right?" Sanji asked. "How do you know that's where Nami went? She could have gone somewhere else in that direction." Yosaku shook his head and propped his head up on his palm.

"Johnny and I got a hunch," he said. "given the course, and recalling a certain incident," He then told us of what had happened before Nami-baka had duped them into being pushed off Merry-go.

"It was Arlong's poster Nami-aneki was eye-balling!" He explained. "And right after we mentioned that Arlong's crew had been plundering a lot lately, Nami-aneki took the treasure and left us. It was no coincidence, I say. There's some connection there."

"Maybe he has something over her and she has to work for him?" I suggested idly, laughing again as Luffy tried to draw another mermaid, upright this time.

"That's just a standing version of your last fish," Sanji pointed out. "But what business could Nami have with that fishman?" Suddenly, the lecherous look on his face was back. "Maybe she's really a mermaid! She's pretty enough!" I gagged, and then burst out laughing as Luffy added hair onto the head of the fish and wrote _Nami_ on the side, holding it up for Sanji to see.

"Huh?" He said, looking confused as to why Sanji would mistake Nami-baka for a mermaid.

"I'LL MURDER YA!" Sanji shrieked, growing shark teeth.

"HAVEN'T YOU HEARD A WORD I SAID?!" Yosaku joined in the shouting. I covered my ears and made a loud LA-LA-LA noise to drown him out.

"Sure," Sanji said, and started to summarize. "There's some mean fishmen there, right? Got it."

"NO! YOU DON'T 'GOT IT'! HIS STRENGTH IS UNIMAGINABLE!" I pouted and stopped trying to drown them out. It wasn't working.

"Well, we'll find out when we get there," Sanji said with a couldn't-care-less shrug.

"Yeah, don't worry Yosaku," Luffy said.

"You'll go grey early." I added, pointing at his head. Yosaku covered said head.

"WHAT A WASTE OF BREATH!" He shouted at the sky, stomping off and pouting in a corner.

"Okay! Let's eat." Sanji said, standing up and dusting off his pants. "What do you want?"

"MEAT!" Luffy shouted, punching the air. "ON A BONE!"

"STIR-FRIED BEAN SPROUTS FOR ME!" Yosaku shouted, bounding over from where he had been pouting, now fully recovered. Sanji stared at me, and I sighed, defeated.

"Tomato soup, a small bowl," I said, re-starting the game of steal-Luffy's-hat.

"It's sure nice to have a cook!" Luffy said with a grin as Sanji walked to the kitchen.

"I'd rather be cooking for Nami and Aave then you two swabs," Sanji shot back over his shoulder.

"Oh! Oh! Bean-sprouts!" Yosaku shouted. "A big helping!" I giggled and helped to set the table by poofing flowery plates into existence, and had them tap-dance their way across the table to their proper places in front of everyone.

When Sanji finally emerged from the kitchen, the two living humans' stomachs were growling while I laughed at Luffy's hungry face.

"Bon appetite," Sanji murmured as he set down the plates full of food in front of us. After a moment of moving plates around, Sanji produced a small bowl out of nowhere, and set it down in front of me.

"Your Tomato soup, Little Miss," he said, sliding down next to me. I grinned at him and clapped my hands together.

"Itadakimasu!" I shouted along with Luffy. The flavors exploded deliciously in my mouth, and I took a moment to savor the feeling of eating again (though Sanji had fed me on Joe the Fish as many times as he could). Memories of dinners with my family rose up into my mind, floated for a second while I viewed them, and then floated away again, replaced by other food related memories throughout the years, including the day when Roger and Rayleigh showed up at my island.

Before I knew it, the bowl of soup was gone, and I was refusing Sanji's offer to make another.

"No, really. It would be a waste of supplies. I don't _need_ to eat," was my consistent argument.

"People need to eat to keep up their strength!" Was his. We were in the middle of a heated debate consisting of only those two sentences when I sensed a disturbance in the force. I held a hand up and shushed Sanji.

"Do you hear that?" I asked, peering over the edge of the boat into the water.

"No…" Sanji said slowly. "What do you hear?"

"Is it my stomach growling?" Luffy called from the other side of the boat where he had been trying to get Sanji to cook some more food while we were fighting.

"Nope, I kinda put the 'mute' on that noise…" I said, cupping my hands around my ears in order to hear better. "It sounds like…mooing…"

"Mooing?" Yosaku asked, fork full of bean sprouts halfway to his mouth. He still had a whole pile on his plate, and was busy between trying to eat and trying to save his food from Luffy's grabby hands.

"Like an angry or hungry cow, but underwa-" I was cut off as something exploded out of the water, rocking the boat violently for a few minutes. When all had settled, I noticed that I wasn't in the boat anymore, and it had been blown a few feet away from me. Instead, half of my body was inside something. I looked to the side, and then up.

"Weird cow…" I muttered, staring at the shivering green and light blue cow. I looked down. It had a tail. Not just any tail, but a _fish_ tail! My eyes started to sparkle.

"IT'S A COW THAT LIVES IN THE OCEAN, GUYS!" I shouted excitedly, not noticing that the cow was turning an alarming shade of blue from cold, and that the water around where it was floating was turning icy. I waved my arms in the air with furver.

"I MEAN, HOW GREAT IS THAT?" The cow tipped sideways and fell onto the now-icy ocean. I realized what had happened.

"Oops…" I said, a sweatdrop running down my head. "I think I gave it hypothermia…"

***My number one favorite Emily Dickenson poem. I just ****_had_**** to fit it in here somehow…**

**Ok! This took a while to upload, and for that, I deeply apologize! Next time, it may take a shorter amount of time, mainly because I'm staying away from writing chapters that take up more than 5k words. *shivers***


	21. Chapter 21

**Ureshiitamago: I DID NOT FORGET! I just got school…and then work…and then writers block…all in one.**

**Aave: *mutters incomprehensibly* **

**Ureshiitamago:…onto the thankies?**

**We would like to thank: iitrnr, seanstergamefan, Vipre-vassago, amy1945, kiroroblue, , LiaMaruti, 52 zed fast, Darkfrosty, powerplay2010, BleachedShadow, WackyJ, TerrorTwinEpicness, Skysword, lilly2011, Lady Shinkukaze, kage kitsune 14, and beartes for following/favoriting this story!**

**A special thanks to Momochan77, QuirkyKit, alexc123, Varus the Shadow Sage, TheSuperMario, InsanityPushedMeOffTheEdge, Guest, Cupcake(guest), kiroroblue, and AC.**

**Now, responses to guest reviews!**

**Guest: Me too! I already wrote it!**

**Cupcake: Here's some more to read!**

**AC: For a voice actress…Hirano Aya. She does good kid voices. And for your second question…*drumroll* ;) you'll see in this chappie!**

**Aave: Heeere's the chapter!**

_ "__IT'S A COW THAT LIVES IN THE OCEAN, GUYS!" I shouted excitedly, not noticing that the cow was turning an alarming shade of blue from cold, and that the water around where it was floating was turning icy. I waved my arms in the air with furver._

_ "__I MEAN, HOW GREAT IS THAT?" The cow tipped sideways and fell onto the now-icy ocean. I realized what had happened._

_ "__Oops…" I said, a sweatdrop running down my head. "I think I gave it hypothermia…" ___

**Chapter 21: Purple Ghosts**

"Wow, it's a big sea monster," Sanji idly commented, lighting a cigarette. I nodded.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHH!" Yosaku was yelling.

"A cow," I reminded Sanji.

"He's blue," added Luffy, stuffing some more meat into his mouth.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!" Yosaku continued to yell.

"He's got hypothermia…" I muttered, blushing a little. Luffy laughed.

"'Cause you froze the sea, right?" He chortled.

"AAAAAAAAAAA-" Yosaku cut off when I flew through him to make him shut up. The screaming was really annoying and unnecessary.

"A huge swimming cow," Sanji repeated. "Or maybe a hippo?"

"A cow," I corrected.

"It's a lot of beef," Luffy said, drooling. I shook my head, and crossed my arms.

"No!" I exclaimed. "He's not food! Bessie's my pet!"

"You claimed him?" Sanji asked, a sweatdrop running down his head. I nodded, and pointed at Bessie the sea-cow triumphantly.

"I heard him first, so he's mine!"

"THAT'S A MONSTER FROM THE GRAND LINE!" Yosaku shouted, recovering from the momentary freeze to his body. Shucks. Bessie, meanwhile, blinked open his eyes and stared at the frozen sea underneath him, letting out a confused 'moo?' and flopping around until he was back in the sea.

"NOOOOO!" I wailed. "BESSIE! COME BACK!" There was a sloshing sound, and the top of Bessie's face appeared above the water, shooting me a confused look.

"Yes," I said, nodding, "you're Bessie." Bessie shook his head. I stomped my foot on the air.

"Is too!"

*cow shakes head*

"Too!"

*shake*

"TOO!"

"MOOO!"

"TOO!"

"MOHMOO!"

"…oh."

"What?" Luffy asked, leaning over the side. "What did our dinner say?" Bessie shuddered in the water and shrank back from our boat.

"Bessie said that his name wasn't Bessie, it was Mohmoo," I said, and then continued, glaring at Bessie. "But I refuse to call him by a stupid name like that, so it will be Bessie from now on, so there!" I stuck my tongue out at the end. Mohmoo *cough_Bessie_cough* reared up, and looked like he was about to trash our ship before he was interrupted by a gigantic growling noise coming from his stomach region.

"He seems to be hungry," I stated, scratching the back of my neck idly. Bessie stared longingly at the food on our table (or what was left of it), and Luffy drew back his hand.

"GOMU GOMU NO PISTOL!" Luffy shouted, knocking Bessie back onto the ice with his punch.

"KEEP YOUR FLIPPERS OFF OUR FOOD!" He shouted, pointing at the offending sea-cow.

"WOOHOO! GO LUFFY!" I shouted, punching the air, and then I paused. "Wait…NOOOOOOO! BESSIE! WHAT DID HE DO TO YOU, MY PET?!" I wailed dramatically, collapsing on the deck in a mock-faint. After a moment, I raised my head.

"How did I do?" I asked, looking up at Sanji who was watching me bemusedly.

"Ten points for style," he announced with a grin. I clapped my hands in delight, only to scream slightly in surprise when Bessie shot out of the water with a roar, the ice having finally melted.

"MOOOOOO!" He roared in anger. I nodded sagely and turned to Luffy.

"He wants you to apologize," I translated. Bessie's roar stopped and he looked at me in confusion, as did Yosaku. Luffy just glared at Bessie and pouted while Sanji was almost bent in two to stop his laughter.

"I don't wanna," Luffy grumbled.

"HE'S JUST ANGRY!" Yosaku shouted, waving his arms erratically in the direction of Bessie. I held my hands out, palms facing out.

"Now children, now's not the time to be having an argument," I said in my best teacherly voice. "Let's all review Kelso's choices, and agree on a solution to our problem. Now," I made a circular chart with frogs on it appear. "Solution number one is; go to another game. We're not playing a game, so that doesn't count in this situation, so we move onto number two." I moved a pointer that had at some point appeared in my hand to the next choice and looked around to make sure I had their attention. Luffy was paying rapt attention, as was Bessie and Yosaku. Sanji was still laughing in the background.

"Talk it out. So, Luffy, could you please explain why you hit Bessie. Bessie, explain why you're so hungry." Luffy and Bessie turned to each other, and there was a subsequent not-conversation that somehow seemed to work out and ended with Bessie getting the rest of the bean-sprouts and some meat. In return, Bessie was hooked up to our boat and told the direction we wanted to go in.

"Kelso's choices?" Sanji asked me as we were speeding along. I grinned up and him, and swung my feet against (and then through) the outside of the boat. He was leaning against the railing next to me near the bow, where Luffy had claimed his spot.

"When I was around one to two hundred years old, an old lady stopped by my island and somehow took it upon herself to teach me how to manage conflict," I explained. "The only thing I remember from that lesson is Kelso, and that she had a double chin that kept on wagging whenever she talked. I think it hypnotized me at one point." Sanji laughed at that and shook his head slightly.

"You really looked like a teacher back there," Sanji noted, grinning at me. I folded my arms and tilted my head up, smiling proudly.

"I haunted a classroom for sixty years," I said pompously. "I should think so!"

"You were scaaary!" Luffy said with a pout, glaring at me a little. I grinned at him, and flew over to his side, teasingly punching him lightly on the arm.

"The teacher whose classroom I was haunting _had_ to have been a witch," I declared, sitting next to Luffy. "There's no other way that she would be able to make half of the island's kids behave themselves like that." I shook my head and adjusted my knee pads so that they were centered over my knee-cap properly. Luffy punched me lightly on the arm in retaliation, and then tickled my sides.

Soon, I was screaming and 'running' around the boat, a laughing Luffy (ooo, look at that alliteration) chasing after me, cackling like a madman. Somewhere in the middle of the tickle chase, I and Luffy had somehow procured fake words and were jumping around the ship, pretending to fight each other and using fake pirate accents to talk (shout) with each other. We only stopped when Yosaku shouted out.

"I SEE ARLONG PARK!" Came the cry. Luffy and I immediately abandoned our swords where they were, and raced to the front of the boat, where Bessie was laboring away, drawing us steadily closer to the island.

"Yeah!" I shouted, pumping my fist in the air. "GO BESSIE!"

"Don't give out yet, hippo!" Sanji added with a shout. I made my hand real for long enough to punch him lightly on the shoulder.

"His _name_ is Bessie!" I protested, crossing my arms with a pout. Sanji was staring at me, silent for a moment, and then he turned back to Bessie.

"Don't give out yet, hippo-Bessie!" He shouted. I face-palmed, but shrugged it off and returned to encouraging Bessie with Luffy. Suddenly, we noticed something was off. Bessie wasn't heading to Arlong Park, he was heading to the _right_ of it.

"HEY!" Sanji shouted, jumping back from the railing, "TO THE LEFT!"

"It's _that_ building!" Luffy added, pointing at the only building in sight, but he jumped towards the railing instead of away from it.

"WE'RE GONNA CRASH INTO THE SHORE!" Wailed Yosaku, clutching his head and rolling around on the floor piteously.

"Where's that aura coming from?" I asked, looking around for the cause of the random aura that had literally popped out of nowhere. It felt like a fading ghost. Were there really any of those still around? Last I talked to my Shinigami friend, they had cleared all of those up.

"WHY ARE YOU ASKING ABOUT AN AURA WHEN WE'RE CLEARLY GOING TO CRA-!" Bessie had taken a sudden dive to the left. Now. I knew a little about gravity, how it worked, yada, yada, yada. I knew that an object in motion stays in motion unless acted upon by an outside force. We were the object in motion. Those trees I could see in the distance becoming closer as we flew towards them at supersonic speed? Yeah, those were the 'outside force'.

But it looked like I was slightly wrong. We landed on the ground, and instead of resting, we kept moving through the trees at supersonic speed.

"Hey!" Luffy shouted, holding onto the boat and his hat, somehow managing to stay seated. "We're on the ground!"

"But we're still moving!" Sanji shouted back. I assessed the situation, and simply floated upwards, following behind the boat. I chuckled when the boat collided with someone who looked suspiciously like Zoro, and when it went careening through a rice field and stopped itself by colliding with the trees on the other side of the rice field.

'Ouch, that gotta hurt,' I thought to myself, wincing at the carnage as I drew closer. I collided with Luffy just as he stood up, and sent him tumbling back onto the ground.

After a moment or two of confusion, Luffy was finally back on his feet and brushing himself off as Sanji sat on a piece of wreckage, Yosaku still stuck in said wreckage, and Zoro bleeding from his head.

"WHAT THE HECK ARE YOU GUYS DOING?!" Zoro screamed at us. I clapped my hands in delight as the infamous shark teeth appeared. It was always most amusing when that happened.

"What? We came to bring Nami back," Luffy said as if it were obvious (which it was), "Haven't you found her yet? Where are Usopp and Johnny?" Since these were questions I was wondering about myself, I sat in Sanji's lap and decided to explore where I could feel the aura coming from later.

"Usopp! Oh no!" Zoro quickly stood up and turned in the direction of Arlong Park. "There's no time to chat!"

"Huh? What's wrong?" Luffy asked.

"Did someone die?" I asked, thinking about the aura with a tinge of worry. Was that one of ours?

"No, but Arlong has Usopp!" Zoro said in a slightly panicked voice. "If I don't get to him quick he'll be-"

"USOPP'S DEAD!" A voice shouted. Everyone looked over to who had shouted, and saw Johnny, tears streaming down his face.

"You're too late," he said. "USOPP-ANIKI'S BEEN KILLED BY NAMI-ANEKI!" _Nami-baka…what have you done_. Luffy attacked Johnny.

"YOU TAKE THAT BACK!" Luffy shouted at Johnny, holding the other man by his collar. "OR I'LL SEND YOU FLYING!" Luffy really wasn't taking the news well.

"Stop it, Luffy!" Yosaku shouted. "It's not Johnny's fault!"

"THERE'S NO WAY NAMI WOULD KILL USOPP!" Luffy shouted. The amount of conviction in his voice shook me to the core, and instantly, I believed that he was right. Nami wouldn't do something like that. "SHE'S OUR _NAKAMA_!" Those words sealed the answer to his never ending question that I had already decided upon.

"IF YOU DON'T WANT TO BELIEVE IT, FINE!" Johnny shouted back, still crying. "BUT I SAW IT WITH MY OWN EYES!" Luffy looked like he was about to say something, but then a voice spoke up that had us all looking towards the familiar girl.

"Who's your nakama, Luffy?"

"Nami…"

"Why did you come here?" Her voice was dead, no emotion whatsoever, and that made me shiver. What predicament was she in that made her make that face?

"Whadda ya mean?" Luffy asked, dropping Johnny and straitening up, holding his hat down when a breeze threatened to blow it away (not my fault). "You're our nakama, we came to get you!"

"What a nuisance," Nami coolly said, crossing her arms, a rod in her right hand. I noticed with interest that the smell of fresh blood was wafting from her covered up left hand, and that on her shoulder was a tattoo of a shark…thing…

"**Nakama?**" she continued, "**Don't make me laugh. You're a bunch of pathetic misfits.**" I frowned slightly when she said that, her words hitting a little too close to home. Pathetic misfit was all I would think about when I was sick in bed, watching the other children play while I dreamed a ridiculous dream that I knew could never be fulfilled in my lifetime.

"NAMI!" Sanji suddenly shouted, jolting me out of my reverie. He was waving his hand excitedly and…were those smoke hearts coming out of his cigarette? "It's me! Don't you remember?! Come back to us!"

"YOU STAY OUT OF THIS!" Zoro shouted at him, veins popping on his forehead. "YOU'LL COMPLICATE THE STORY!"

"_So?_" Sanji growled back, chewing on his cigarette in anger, "_Love is always a hurricane!_" I gagged at his words and shook my head. He would never get women acting that way.

"I'M TELLING YOU, THIS WOMAN IS A WITCH!" Johnny shouted. He was getting ready to shout something else, but I interrupted him.

"Of course she isn't!" I said hotly, crossing my arms and glaring at him with all my ghostly might. "Witches have brooms! Get your facts straight, young man!" I finished in my best teacher voice and sniffed at him, ignoring the stares from everyone else. "Honestly, next you'll be saying that we'll get a shape-changing reindeer on the crew! Yeesh!"

"That would be cool," conceded Luffy, nodding at my comment but still staring at Nami.

"THAT'S NOT THE POINT!" Johnny screamed, causing most of us to jump at his sudden yelling. "SHE'S WORKING FOR ARLONG'S PIRATES! SHE BUTCHERS PEOPLE LIKE PIGS!" I admit, at this point I was getting a tad irritated with all the yelling and the accusations, but my limit boiled over when he added, in an equally loud shout;

"I SAW THIS WITCH STAB USOPP-ANIKI WITH MY OWN EYES!"

"OH BE QUIET!" I shouted, covering my ears with my hands, trying to drown out all the yelling. "HOW DO YOU KNOW HE'S DEAD? I DON'T SEE HIS AURA, WHICH MEANS HE'S ALIVE! STOP, PLEASE!" In a calmer voice, I turned to Luffy, feeling slightly shaky.

"I need to go somewhere quiet before I accidently hurt someone or something," I mumbled. Luffy nodded, looking a little surprised and worried at my outburst, and I floated off, only looking back to meet Nami's eyes. She looked panicked, and slightly sad. I was well away when I heard dim shouting start back up. It sounded like Nami this time.

"I don't care." I chanted to myself as I flew. "I don't care. I don't…!" I sniffed and took off my gloves, using them as handkerchiefs to absorb my tears. I collapsed by a cross on a cliff somewhere on the other side of the island, and let sobs wrack through my body. At this point, I didn't even know what had caused my little (big) breakdown, only that something in what both Nami and Johnny had said hurt me to the point of actually raising my voice and trying to drown out other voices at the same time by covering my ears. That hadn't happened in years.

"_It's alright, young one,_" a soothing voice said as something that felt like arms wrapped around me. "_Shhhh, don't cry. Ghosts are stronger than that, aren't they?_" I sniffed again, calming down slightly, and nodded my head. Then, I noticed something.

"Y-you're the *sniff* aura th-that's slow-wly disapp-ppearing," I managed to get out, looked up and behind me to see a slightly faded lady wearing a Marine's plaid shirt. She had purple hair that was shaved on the sides and long at the top, and she was smoking. The one thing I noticed most was the large bloodstain on her chest. So _that_ was how she died.

"_I am, little one._" She said with a nod. At least she accepted that she was disappearing. Others would have denied it. "_But I can't disappear until I know that my daughters are happy_."

"Daughters?" I asked, plucking at the bottom of my white t-shirt and thinking back to the mother who had given birth to me, but then left when I became a ghost.

"_Yes, Nojiko and Nami_."

"Wow, what a coincidence," I said seriously, "our reluctant Navigator is named Nami. I call her Nami-baka because she wasn't telling us what was wrong and what we could do to help her. I don't get humans…"

"_You're a ghost,_" Came the nice-lady's reply. I grinned up at her.

"Point," I said cheerfully before staring at the bottom of my shirt again. "Hey…am I…a misfit?" I asked quietly. "I mean, I'm not officially a part of the crew…and…I chased the people of my island off for being a ghost." The last part was said in a whisper, and was my personal nightmare. Yes, the elderly stayed and loved me, but everyone else, they left. Some of my friends stayed until they were adults, but soon became disgusted with having a non-aging reminder of their youth. Then they left too. The elderly died, and eventually, the island turned into an imaginary one that tied me to the one place I didn't want to be.

A light tap on the back of my head stopped my thoughts. The nice-lady was frowning slightly.

"_You are not a misfit. I doubt that your Captain would allow you on his ship unless he thought you a part of his crew, and the villagers are idiots, don't think about them. You ran away from that place, didn't you? So don't think about it._" I smiled up at her.

"You're a nice lady," I said. "You must have been a great mother to Nojiko and Nami."

"_Thank you for the compliment, but…_" The nice lady trailed off. Then she coughed into her hand and grinned at me again. "_I'm going to tell you what I told them. 'Don't ever lose to anyone! Girls have to be strong too! And whatever happens, don't curse the age you were born into! Don't worry about what anyone says! And whatever happens, never lose your ability to laugh! If you can survive, then happy times…lot's of em…will come your way!_"

"That's pretty!" I said, staring up at her. "Want to hear a poem a spirit shared with me once?" The nice lady smiled.

"_Yes, I would_." I grinned.

"It's called 'Invictus'!"

**Invictus**

_Out of the night that covers me,_

_Black as the Pit from pole to pole,_

_I thank whatever gods may be_

_For my unconquerable soul._

_In the fell clutch of circumstance,_

_I have not winced nor cried aloud._

_Under the bludgeonings of chance_

_My head is bloody, but unbowed._

_Beyond this place of wrath and tears_

_Looms but the Horror of the shade,_

_And yet the menace of the years_

_Finds, and shall find me, unafraid._

_It matters not how straight the gate,_

_How charged with punishments the scroll._

_I am the master of my fate:_

_I am the captain of my soul._

I finished the poem with a flourish. The nice lady clapped loudly and laughed.

"_That was very nice!_" She said. I grinned up at her.

"That's what I said! It isn't my absolute favorite but…oh…I forgot to tell you my name. That was rather rude of me. I apologize," I said seriously, sliding off of her lap to face her. Then I bowed.

"My name is Aave D. Something-or-other. I can't quite remember my last name."

"_That's alright. My name's Bellemere._" The nice lady offered back. I grinned.

"Thank you for cheering me up, Bellemere! I have to get back to my living people now though."

"_Have fun, and remember, smile._" Bellemere said with her own smile before fading. I grinned at the mist that had been where Bellemere had been sitting with me on her lap.

"Don't worry!" I called out, waving at the disappearing mist. "I will!" _Now to go find Luffy_, I thought, floating above the trees and looking for the familiar strawhat anywhere on the island. And…_there_!

"LUUUFFYYYYY!" I called out as I shot down towards him, taking note of the fact that he was walking in a village. I adjusted myself accordingly, only letting myself be visible to members of the crew. Luffy turned and looked up at me, grinning as I barreled into his arms. I hugged him tightly for a moment or two before scrambling around to get a piggy-back ride.

"I met this reeeaaally nice purple-haired lady!" I said excitedly, waving my hands to illustrate my story even though I knew he couldn't see them. "She had Mohawk hair, and a Marine's t-shirt! I didn't know Marines could be nice! Well, except for Coby, but he's my exception to the rule! Also, she was smoking! What marine smokes? Only Captains in the Navy should be allowed to smoke, and she wasn't a Captain, but that wasn't the weirdest part-" I took a deep breath as Luffy chuckled underneath me. "You know…" I rested my chin on his shoulder. "The weirdest part was that she was a mom who died for her kids." I locked my arms around his neck, but not too hard. "And they weren't blood related."

"They sound like a nice family," Luffy commented, jumping slightly so that I was better situated on his back. I smiled, my chin still on his shoulder.

"Mmmhmm. I would've liked to meet her when she was alive," I said. "That would have been fun." Luffy stopped suddenly, and I looked up to see an extremely strange sight. A scarred man with a pinwheel on his hat was leading a Marine who looked like a mouse and some other Marines through the village. What the crabapple? I half-stood on Luffy's back to get a better angle.

"What does the Navy want with Nami?" The scarred man with the pinwheel was asking the mousy-Marine. Nami?

"Hyik hyik hyik," I wrinkled my nose at the strange laugh. "Just take me to her."

"That doesn't sound too good, Luffy." I said to the top of Luffy's head. Luffy was silent for a moment before;

"How come that guy has a pinwheel on his head?!" I considered his question, not finding it surprising that he hadn't seemed to listen to what I had said. I knew he had, and just didn't want to get involved just yet for some reason.

"Speaking as a child, I find his face rather frightening. Maybe he wears it so that the village children will smile and not be afraid of him?" I suggested, slipping off of Luffy's back when he started to sit against a palm tree. I plopped onto his lap and pulled Bearetta out of my hat, sticking an orange wig on her head and changing her clothes to look like what Nami would normally wear.

"Hi," I said in a falsetto, holding Bearetta up to Luffy's face. Luffy grinned and waved at Bearetta. "Nami-kuma's shy," I whispered to Luffy behind my hand. Luffy laughed and nodded.

"Yes, Nami-kuma is shy. Nami isn't though." He said. I nodded.

"Very good, pupil Luffy!" I said, crossing my arms, Bearetta now sitting on my lap. "Learning to read…" I blanked, and was still trying to figure out what to say when a shot rang out, followed by two more. I yelped and grabbed onto Luffy's shirt, Bearetta fell to the ground.

"That was gunfire!" I said, pointing out the obvious.

"Was it?" Luffy asked, his eyes closed.

"Well, there's no clouds for rain or thunder," I chirped, getting over my fright.

"Hmm?" I looked up to see Luffy staring across the street. When I looked over, I saw a crowd of people gathering around something.

"Luffy," I said, tugging on his shirt. "It smells like blood over there."

"I'll go see." Luffy said, scooping me off of his lap and setting me down just above the grass. I floated there as he walked over to the growing crowd. I looked away for one moment to pick up Bearetta, and when I looked up again, there was a scream that sounded like Nami.

"I WANT NOTHING TO DO WITH YOU!" She screamed, grabbing Luffy by the collar and dragging him off of his feet. "NOW GET OFF THIS ISLAND!" With that, she shoved Luffy to the ground and took off running in the direction of where Arlong Park was according to Yosaku.

Luffy slouched back over to me and sat back on his spot, while I claimed his lap again.

"What's her problem?" asked Luffy rhetorically with a pout. I shrugged and changed Bearetta so that she looked like Bellemere.

"Why does she like money so much?" I countered, giving Bellemere a cigarette and a gun. Luffy grunted and shut his eyes. Across the street, the people were rallying. Sanji, Zoro, and Usopp sat down next to us.

"Get your weapons," the scarred man with the pinwheel ordered the villagers. "We're going to fight!" There was a scream of ascent from the people and they vanished before rallying again, with household items that could be considered weapons if the need arose. Which clearly, it did.

"Eight years ago we chose to live in disgrace," Pinwheel-man continued. "And we made a vow! No matter how painful or insulting their rule was, as long as Nami was alright, we would fight on by surviving! BUT THIS IS THE LAST STRAW!" A sword suddenly appeared in the man's hand. "IF THERE'S NO HOPE FOR US TO BUY OUR FREEDOM, THEN I SAY LET'S DIE FIGHTING FOR IT! THOSE FISHMEN PLAYED ON THAT GIRL'S GOODNESS FROM THE START! THEY MUST PAY FOR THAT! **ANY OBJECTIONS!?**"

"LET'S GET THOSE FISH-FACES!"

"I'LL BE DARNED IF I LIVE ANOTHER DAY UNDER THEIR RULE!"

"WE'VE ALL BEEN ITCHING TO FIGHT FOR EIGHT LONG YEARS!"

"LET'S GET 'EM!" I was quite frankly amazed with how loud a large group of people could be, and was wondering if they could get any louder when a single voice rang out above all the others.

"**STOP!**" It was Nami, out of breath, but smiling and holding out her arms like she was going to give the angry villagers one big group hug.

"WAIT A LITTLE LONGER!" she shouted, grinning wider, if that was even possible. That smile looked quite painful. "I'M GOING TO TRY AGAIN! JUST GIVE ME ONE MORE CHANCE! IT'LL BE EASY THIS TIME…" The villagers stared at her in disbelief, and pinwheel-man started to cry. He walked up to Nami, and then drew her into a hug.

"You've done enough," he reassured her. "You can't carry the burden for the whole village anymore. You fought well for us! It must've been worse than death for you to join that crew! **You fought well!**"

"Mr. Genzo…" Nami started tearing up too. Saying nothing, I switched seats to sit on Zoro. I thought that Luffy would be needed soon. Luffy subtly nodded.

"But now you should leave the island," Mr. Genzo went on. Nami looked shocked.

"He's right," a bandaged and tattooed lady said. I wondered if she was the one who was shot. "You're strong and cunning!" the blue-haired lady said. "And you have dreams!"

"NOJIKO!" Nami shouted. My mind made the connection. Nami's sister. Bellemere's other daughter. Suddenly, Nami whipped out a knife and thrust it at the crowd.

"STOP IT, EVERYONE!" She shouted. "I…I DON'T WANT ANYONE ELSE TO BE HURT BY THEM!" Calming down a little, she relaxed into a proper knife holding stance, though I could tell she wasn't used to wielding one. "They'll kill you all if you fight!"

"We know." Mr. Genzo said, and then reached out and grabbed hold of the blade. I winced and grabbed my hand in sympathy.

"It's no use, Nami!" An old man with a bandana tied on his head shouted. "Our minds are made up!"

"NOW SET ASIDE, NAMI!" Nami dropped the knife and fell to the ground as the people rushed past her, screaming for Arlong's blood.

After a moment of silence, wherein the five of us sat watching her back, Nami grabbed the top of her arm where the Arlong tattoo was, and glared at it.

"**Arlong…**" She growled, picking up the knife and savagely plunging it into her shoulder. "**ARLONG!...ARLONG!...ARLONG!**" each shout of the fishman's name was punctuated with the knife stabbing into her shoulder, until Luffy caught it as she raised her arm to deal herself another blow. I grabbed Zoro's arm and held onto it, making sure that I wasn't going to accidently give him hypothermia like I did Bessie.

"Luffy." Nami said in a choked voice. She let go of the knife, and looked back down at the ground. "WHAT ARE YOU DOING?" she shouted at the ground. _Why is she shouting at…wait, no, she's shouting at Luffy…_

"YOU DON'T KNOW ANYTHING!"

"Yeah." Luffy said calmly. "I don't know anything."

"This has _nothing_ to do with you!" Nami clenched her hand on the ground, and then threw dirt behind her and onto Luffy's shins.

"I TOLD YOU! LEAVE THIS ISLAND!" She sobbed.

"Yeah." Luffy replied, still eerily calm. "You told me."

Nami's cries were painfully muffled, and then she spoke, her voice broken beyond recognition, and I felt a flame of anger rise in me, directed towards whoever did this to her.

"Luffy…" she sobbed, "**help…**" Luffy took off his hat and shoved it onto her head, and walked towards us, stopping onto to shout;

"**OKAY!**" Sanji was already standing and staring in the direction of Arlong Park. Usopp was crouching on the ground with his arms folded, Zoro was leaning against the only sword he had left, and I was floating in midair next to Zoro, loosely hanging onto Bearetta and watching Luffy.

"**Let's go.**" Our captain ordered.

"**Right.**" We all started walking towards Arlong Park, shoulder to shoulder.

After a few minutes, we shoved our way through a crowd of angry and confused villagers. Luffy took a hit at the door, and blasted through it, a rather large hole in the wall left in his wake. He cracked his knuckles menacingly.

"Which one is Arlong?"

**Wow, okay. So when I was writing the end, suddenly my writers block said goodbye and went on vacation for a while. **

**Note: I have school so updates will be sporadic. **


	22. Chapter 22

**Ureshiitamago: Heeere's an update!**

**Aave: Well, the wait wasn't that bad this time. **

**Ureshiitamago: Heh heh, I try! Here's the thankies!**

**We would like to thank: caboose on a moose, YumiKnowsBest, .63, Thejungle5, LunarBolt, KurokoChan8, Therjj, Mistiki, Vaeius, SaChan22, ForeverAWESOMEAuraSpaceDragon, DarkDust27, TheMistakenKing, Kat Midnight, and Lone-Wolf-Ranger for following/favoriting!**

**A special thanks to Guestspirit, chaosrin, rgss, TheSuperMario, ADDBaby, Quirkykit, Varus the Shadow Sage, and Momochan77 for reviewing.**

**Thank you Guestspirit for donating an OC. Varus the Shadow Sage has also donated some OCs, but those aren't appearing for another couple of chapters at least. **

_ "__**Let's go.**__" Our captain ordered._

_ "__**Right.**__" We all started walking towards Arlong Park, shoulder to shoulder. _

_After a few minutes, we shoved our way through a crowd of angry and confused villagers. Luffy took a hit at the door, and blasted through it, a rather large hole in the wall left in his wake. He cracked his knuckles menacingly. _

_ "__Which one is Arlong?" _

**Chapter 22: Fight the Ghostly Fight**

Sanji, Zoro, Usopp, and I waited while Luffy walked through the hole, looking around for the one called Arlong. Arlong. Armlong? Was his arm long?

"That would be me," a rather menacing looking fishman said from a throne looking chair.

"I'm Luffy," Luffy introduced himself.

"Is that so?" Arlong questioned. "And what's a Luffy?"

"This Arlong is not very educated," I remarked to Usopp, who chuckled weakly.

"A pirate," Luffy answered. Two fishmen tried to challenge Luffy and throw him out of Arlong Park, but Luffy bashed their heads together.

"What business do you have with me?" Arlong asked, his voice a little angrier. Instead of responding with words, Luffy punched the fishman across the maw, sending Arlong flying into a wall. There were some horrified shouts from the other fishmen.

"Do you realize what you just-" Luffy interrupted Arlong's threat.

"**You made our Navigator cry!**" His voice was full of anger and emotion, and I found myself drifting backwards a little from the force of it. There was a pause, and then all of the fishmen acted together and leapt at Luffy. They didn't get too far, however, as Sanji and I rushed forward and took them out.

"STAY OUT OF THIS, YOU CRAP-FISH!" Sanji shouted as he kicked them out of the way.

"May the wrackspurts be nice to you in your dreams," I said as I flew through the rest of them.

"You always have to dive right in, don't you?" Sanji asked Luffy with a sigh.

"Yeah, but I don't lose," Luffy huffed, still glaring at Arlong.

"I'm not worried about _that,_ dummy!" Sanji grouched. I giggled. "Just save a little for the rest of us."

"Don't get so pumped up over the lackeys," I scolded Sanji. "The real ones haven't moved a muscle." There were four figures who hadn't moved. Three of them were fishmen, each looking like they were a different type of fish, and one…human?...A hood was hiding the top half of his face, so I couldn't be sure.

"I-It's okay if you don't share, Luffy." Usopp informed us, nose up in the air, putting up a front.

"How generous of you, Usopp…" Zoro remarked, dripping sarcasm.

"All hail the master of sarcasm," I droned, bowing down to Zoro, who grimaced and turned away from me. "Aaw," I whined. "Don't be like thaaaat!" I then attempted to hug Zoro, but couldn't get close to him. I could only get close enough to place a hand on his bandaged middle, spreading cool over the wound. Zoro seemed to relax a little, so I floated back to Luffy.

"You mean to tell me you came here for Nami?" Arlong asked suspiciously, that then, to our surprise and anger, threw his head back and guffawed. "YOU'RE JUST FIVE PEOPLE FROM AN INFERIOR SPECIES! WHAT CAN YOU DO?!" I looked over at Luffy with a frown on my face, and then ghosted (get it?) forward and flew through Arlong. The fishman shivered, and tried to grab me, but failed and shivered again.

"_That's _what I can do," I said in a chilling voice. This seemed to make the octopus who had been complaining about Zoro angry.

"DO YOU BONEHEADS THINK YOU CAN PUSH LORD ARLONG AROUND? I'LL TURN YOU INTO CHUM!" somehow, he managed to turn his mouth into a trumpet looking thing, and he let out a bunch of TOOT's. "ARISE, GIANT WARRIOR!" He shouted. I flew lazily back to Luffy and watched with them as the sea started to rise a little, before—as the villagers informed us—the monster from the Grand Line who decimated a place called Gosa appeared. It was Bessie. Stars appeared in my eyes as the beat up looking sea cow appeared.

"BESSIE!" I screeched, rushing forward and hugging Bessie's nose. "I thought we lost you!" Bessie didn't seem to mind me as much, seeing as she was sinking back down into the ocean. Was she relaxing? I looked up, and sweatdropped to see that she was turning blue again.

"Uh oh. Relapse," I muttered, letting go of him and floating up a little bit. Bessie sank all the way into the ocean, and lay on the floor, x's for eyes. KO.

"Did you give him hyperthermos again?" Luffy asked. I looked back at him, an image of a thermos bouncing off the walls appearing in my mind, and shook my head.

"Yeah, I think I gave him hypothermia again…oops…" I laughed a little and frowned when my laugh was echoed somewhere behind me. I looked around, but there was no one. Odd. I shrugged and wafted back down to Luffy.

"YOU KILLED MOHMOO!" The octopus screamed at me. "I MAY HATE YOU MORE THAN RORONOA!" I blinked at the octopus, and took off my hat, holding it to my heart.

"I am very sorry for your loss. Bessie was a nice pet," I bowed a little, and the octopus blushed, scratching the back of his head with one of his arms and bowing back.

"Why thank you," he replied. "I trained him using lots of meat-" he was cut off by Arlong.

"MOHMOO!" The fishman shouted. There was some bubbling from the sea, and a still sorta-blue Bessie appeared, looking frightened. "If you want to die, I won't stop you," The fishman's voice was velvety and dangerous. A clear threat. "Go ahead, Mohmoo."

"Bessie, if someone's bullying you, just tell a trusted adult," I countered, crossing my arms and glaring at Arlong. Bessie looked between us, the deadly fishman and the dead ghost, then attacked…the fishmen. I cheered and jumped up and down in the air, proud of Bessie.

"YEAH! GO BESSIE!" I shouted, throwing pom poms into the air along with various colored confetti. There were screams from the fishmen as they attempted to fight back against the sea cow, and the five of us watched with some amusement before I saw Arlong start to get up.

"Oh no you don't," I muttered, flashing over to Bessie. "Bessie, I'm going to have to hide you for a bit," I said apologetically. Bessie blinked, and then nodded. I placed a real hand on his forehead and turned him into a stuffed animal small enough to fit inside my hat with Bearetta. Temporary stasis meant that Bessie wouldn't feel as though any time had passed since being put into stasis. I placed my hat back on my head and hightailed it back to Luffy and the others. When I returned, Luffy finished beating up the last of the fishmen, and then glared at Arlong.

"I didn't come here to waste my time on small fry!" He growled. "I came here to clobber YOU!" He pointed at Arlong with a dangerous look on his face.

"Well that works out perfectly." Arlong said with a sharkish grin. "I was just thinking about clobbering you, too."

The four who were standing in the background stepped forward.

"Looks like we'll have to get involved," the stingray said.

"WHAT HE DID TO OUR COMRADES WASN'T NICE!" the octopus shouted.

"I could care less about the living, but the dead one…" The hooded person licked his lips, and I shivered involuntarily.

"I'll have you know, that right there could be considered pedophilia," I warned the hooded figure, shaking my finger at him. The man blinked before chuckling lowly, fingering an Onyx blade. _A hunter?_ I thought, turning my attention to the last one, who looked like a blowfish.

"I'll show you that humans are no match for fishmen, chu!" I mimed gagging at his voice, making Zoro laugh.

"Now the real player appear," the swordsman remarked, placing his hand on his last sword, ready to draw it at a moment's notice.

"They look like they'd make good sushi," Sanji idly said, lighting another cigarette.

"I-I'M NOT AFRAID OF THEM!" Usopp shouted, his knees quaking. Luffy growled menacingly.

"We should have crushed these humans as soon as they showed up," the stingray sneered. "Lord Arlong, please don't get worked up." He added over his shoulder.

"If you lose your temper *smek* you'll destroy Arlong Park!" the pufferfish crooned. I made a 'bleh' sound and tried to control my laughter at the fishman's voice. The octopus was crouching.

"YEAH!" He shouted. "TIME FOR ZERO VISIBILITY!"

"That octopus is up to something." Zoro said.

"No shit Sherlock," I shot at him, folding my arms.

"Octopus should be boiled in salt water, sliced, and seasoned with olive oil and paprika," Sanji murmured. "It's great with booze."

"Sounds yummy," Luffy said, drooling a little. Something occurred to me.

"Hey, since these guys are clearly part human, wouldn't eating them be considered cannibalism?" I asked. Zoro, Sanji, and Luffy looked at me. The look on their faces clearly said; don't ruin our fun. I shrugged, then looked around for Usopp. He was standing a few feet back.

"HACHI INK JET!" The octopus shouted, blasting octopus ink in our direction. Everyone else dove out of the way while I stayed where I was. The ink passed harmlessly through me, and splattered to the ground, hitting no one. Then, apparently thinking that even though his ink that passed through me, somehow a wall would hit me, the octopus lifted up a broken part of the wall, and then slammed it onto the ground. It would have passed through me harmlessly again, but Sanji seemed to think that I shouldn't be allowed to get hit (even though I wouldn't). So, he kicked it before it could so much as brush my hat, and it broke into two pieces, falling to the ground harmlessly (though it would have done so anyways).

"Ah, entering the fray on behalf of an innocent little girl," Sanji said with a slight shake of his head. "At least I'm following a Captain who isn't so bad compared to a bunch women-hating crap-pirates." His voice had gotten somewhat dangerous sounding at the end, and he was smirking at the five enemy pirates left standing.

"You're pretty strong, for a human," the stingray conceded, "but that was a rather gallant act for a pirate."

"Huh?" Sanji asked, looking slightly confused. Then he smirked again and held out his arms. "Wanna test my gallantry, crap-fish? I was raised by a pirate."

"I don't think you've got what it takes to take me on, human." The stingray said. I thought he was trying to get out of fighting Sanji 'cause he was scared, so I said so.

"You're scared of fighting Sanji, aren't you." It was more of a statement then a question, but oh well.

"ARE YOU INSULTING MY COMRADE? I'LL SMASH YOU!" the octopus lifted up yet another section of smashed wall, and was about to throw it at me when Zoro suddenly appeared behind him, still sheathed sword slung over his shoulder.

"Hey octopus," he said in a bored voice. "She's busy over there. Why don't you smash me?" He was grinning at the end, and the octopus turned to him, rage in his voice, and the rock still held high in the air over his head.

"GRRR! RORONOA ZORO! I ALMOST FORGOT ABOUT YOU!" With that, the octopus hurled the chunk of wall at Zoro instead. The wall fell to pieces as it hit the ground, Zoro having safely jumped out of the way. "YOU MADE A FOOL OUTTA ME! AND YOU WIPED OUT MY COMRADES!" The octopus shouted.

"That's ancient history," Zoro replied. "What you think doesn't matter. The tables have turned." He held out his sword and gripped the handle, grinning menacingly. "**You guys aren't doing the terrorizing anymore. ****_We_**** are!**"

"Ok Zoro," Usopp said in the background. "I'll let you deal with the octopus! Atta boy!" I looked over at him thoughtfully. Usopp, who helped me with a few pranks before, shivered at the sight of my thoughtful gaze.

"W-what?" He muttered, trying to quell the shivering that was wracking his knees, making them sound like castanets.

"Oh, nothing," I said innocently, surreptitiously pulling out a slingshot and glancing around for a target. Finally, my eyes settled on the pufferfish fishman. Perfect. A quick look around to make sure no one was watching, and the pellet flew away from my slingshot, hitting the fishman square on the forehead. I quickly banished my slingshot and turned invisible. The fishman sent a murderous glare at the person I had strategically placed myself in front of. Usopp. _Sorry, Usopp_. I thought to myself as I watched the fishman chase him out of Arlong Park. _But you need to learn that you can also face enemies twice your strength. I believe in you!_ I yelped a tiny bit as something slammed into my back, and I was suddenly visible again. I spun around only to fly back into Luffy as a half covered face face leered at me only inches away. Luffy stumbled, but stayed upright.

"Well, little ghostie," the man said, creepily licking his lips, "looks like you're _all mine_!" he chuckled darkly, and I involuntarily shivered. _Definitely a hunter._ I thought, craning my head around to check the thing on my back, relieved to see that there was nothing there. Or was there?

"What was that just now?" I asked curiously, reluctantly floating out of Luffy's arms, trying to hide how shaken I was by the forceful un-transparency. The person flapped his hand flippantly.

"Oh, just a little something to keep you transparent." He replied, looking over at Arlong, who had stood up and was walking over to where the five of us were standing.

"Please, Lord Arlong," the stingray said, "don't get mad."

"You mean angry," I corrected. "Mad insinuates that he's going crazy." They ignored me, but Sanji glanced at me weirdly.

"What?" I asked, shrugging. "Never hurts to make sure."

"It's all right." Arlong was saying. "This is just a small matter…" From behind me, Luffy made a noise, and then moved around me, rearing backwards.

"You're mine!" Luffy said, shooting his arm forward, shocking Arlong and the fishmen at its length even as Arlong dodged his fist. "I'LL CLOBBER YOU!" Luffy continued with a shout.

"A devil's fruit user, huh?" Arlong noted as he grabbed Luffy's fist when it was winding back. "Even with that, **do you fools really think you can beat us?**"

"Yeah," Sanji replied nonchalantly, "we actually do."

"DARN RIGHT WE DO!" Luffy shouted, seemingly uncaring about the fact that his hand was being held captive fifteen feet away from him be a shark. "NOW LET GO OF MY HAND!"

"Luffy, you need to say please." I reprimanded him. Luffy pouted at me, and I giggled. "Just kidding!"

"Is there something you want to say about it?" Zoro mocked Arlong, grinning at them.

"No, no thanks." Arlong said, casually grabbing both of Luffy's feet as quick as lightning before lifting our captain over his head. "I know a game we can play." The shark fishman laughed. I had a feeling that I wouldn't like this particular game.

"Hey!" Luffy cried, attempting to punch his captor. "Put me down!"

"PEOPLE WHO HAVE EATEN THE DEVIL'S FRUIT CAN'T SWIM!" Arlong shouted with joy. "HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

"NOT THE OCEAN!" Zoro, Sanji, and I shouted. I tried to zoom forward, but was intercepted by an Onyx knife flying past my face.

"GOMU GOMU NO…" Luffy wound up, "PISTOL!" he punched Arlong literally in the mouth, and shouted in pain when the shark bit down.

"Fool," Arlong grinned.

"YOU BITER!" Luffy accused before biting down on Arlong's arm. It didn't seem to do much damaged, and Arlong wasn't very fazed by it.

"He's finished." The stingray stated as Luffy was thrown into the middle of the ocean before he could stretch to grab anything.

"LUFFY!" Zoro and I shouted.

"WHY YOU-" Sanji broke off, running to the water. "I'M COMING, LUFFY!" Zoro and I grabbed his arms.

"Jumping into the ocean is just what they want us to do!" Zoro said, gritting his teeth in anger. "There's only one way to rescue Luffy." I cut off Sanji before he could say anything.

"You guys hold them off while I get Luffy," I muttered so that the enemy wouldn't hear me. "I'm better suited because I don't have to breathe, they can't hit me, and I can pick up Luffy."

"You weren't able to last time," Sanji said, referring to the time when I was trapped in the Onyx net. I shook my head.

"The net was made of a material that makes me not so strong and ghostie," I explained. "As long as you keep the hooded guy from shooting things into the water, I'll be fine." With that, I shot into the water, leaving their protests behind. I glanced around, searching for the familiar black head and red vest. _There!_ I summoned Queen Margareta, and she nodded, an air bubble around her head and in her hands.

"You deal with getting Luffy to the surface, maybe behind a pillar or something so he can recuperate?" I suggested, glancing back up at the surface. Queen Margareta nodded again and swam for Luffy, slipping the air bubble in her hands over his head before grabbing him around his middle and swimming for a wall away from the fighting. I, meanwhile, shot back to the fighting as fast as I could, knowing that hunters were not forces that normal people (despite how un-normal Zoro and Sanji were) could handle for extended periods of time. A little brush in my consciousness told me that Luffy was safe behind a pillar, getting over his brush with death, and almost ready to jump back into the fray.

"Sorry to keep you guys waiting," I said as I deflected an Onyx tipped arrow from its flight to Sanji's abdomen.

"Luffy?" Sanji asked. He was frowning in the direction of Zoro, and I looked over to see our swordsman looking a little out of it. _His wound!_ I thought with dismay.

"Safe." I said, not bothering to dodge the punch that the stingray fishman took at Sanji and I. Sanji expertly dodged it.

"Stay on your toes if you want to live a while longer!" The stingray taunted Sanji.

"I'll leave you to it, then," I said, slipping away from that fight and into my own.

"Why don't we take this fight somewhere a little less…exposed." The hunter suggested before attacking me, pushing me through the hole in the wall Arlong had made when Luffy punched him.

"Who are you?" I asked when he seemed to stop trying to get me out of sight of my Nakama. "You act nothing like Bane, though I guess all hunters act differently from each other."

The man grinned and slung back his hood with a flourish. I froze. The man (because he clearly was, voice and all) had half a head of blue hair, and half a head of brown hair. One of his eyes was blue, the other was brown.

"You got my sister killed," the man sneered at me, Hoshi-chan's face contorting into an ugly scowl. _No!_ I thought desperately, clutching my arms. _It's _not_ her face! Hoshi-chan would _never_ have looked at me like..like…_

"I hate you," the man hissed, and I bit back a sob at how _alike_ he and Hoshi-chan looked. _Like she hates me…_I finished my thought weakly.

"That's why I became a hunter all those years ago," he continued, pacing angrily and waving his arms wildly. "To find the _little ghostie_ that my sister took a shine to, and was _killed_ by!"

"I-I didn't k-kill her…" I whispered, wringing my gloved hands. Hoshi-chan's brother let out a bark of laughter that bordered on hysterical.

"You didn't? Fine then, you didn't…" he paused, then snapped around so he was facing me. "**NO!**" He screamed, waving a knife in my face. In the back of my mind, I noticed that it wasn't made of Onyx when only minutes ago, it had been.

"**NO! **_You_ killed her." His voice, which was a scream in the beginning, grew soft and thoughtful, as though he were reasoning with himself. There were flecks of froth at the corners of his mouth. "You were the one who put her in danger, and the one who was a _ghost_." Reasoning with himself done, he attempted to slash my face off, but only grew confused when it just fazed through me. He checked the blade, and then cursed when he saw that it was regular steel.

"No matter," He remarked, throwing the knife over his shoulder nonchalantly and pulling a sheathed sword out of his black cloak. "I have the *giggle* _perfect_ thing." Unsheathing the sword, he examined it with a scarily calm look on his face.

"Our mother was a medium, you know," he informed me as he slid a finger almost lovingly down the blade. My mouth felt dry. "She loved ghosts, would talk to them for hours at a time," Hoshi-chan's brother went on as if I weren't there.

"_I_ thought it was creepy, but Hoshi…" He looked over at me with a cold and emotionless look on his face. "Hoshi loved it. Loved Ghosts. She was just like our mother, and look where it got _them_," he spat, upper lip curling in disgust. "Their love for ghosts _killed_ them!"

Everything began moving in slow motion as the Hoshi-chan look-alike swung the sword at me. I couldn't move, what he had told me about Hoshi-chan resounding inside my head. Unbidden, a memory flashed through my mind.

_ "__Ne, Aave-yuuyuu?" Hoshi-chan asked one day, attempting to braid my hair. We were in my forest, playing hide-and-go-seek with the cook, who was one of the few who wasn't too creeped out that I was a ghost. _

_ "__Yeah?" I asked, pulling at the top of my socks as I tried to will my hair to be sentinent again when it slipped out of my friends' fingers…again. _

_ "__Beri for your thoughts?" She asked, leaning around my shoulder to look me in the eyes. I blinked up at her, smiling hesitantly._

_ "__Why are you so okay with being around me?" I asked quietly, wringing the fabric of my socks in between my fingers. Hoshi-chan blinked, and a sad look appeared on her face._

_ "__There was once a woman," she began, her eyes far away in some distant memory. "and she was the most beautiful person I knew. She wasn't just pretty, she was sweet and understanding. She probably wouldn't harm even a bed-bug if she could help it. And…she could talk to ghosts." I felt confused. _

_ "__But people can see me if I want them to?" I asked, biting the inside of my lip. _

_ "__Well, sometimes ghosts can't choose to have people _not_ see them, and they are stuck. This woman could see them even if that happened." I nodded in understanding at her explanation. _

_ "__Wasn't she scared?" I asked, thinking of how scared I was when I first saw Jomei. _But_, I thought with a small smile, _Jomei was actually sweet in his own way. _Hoshi-chan shook her head._

_ "__This woman was never scared. She loved all of the ghosts she came across, and treated them all equally." Then, Hoshi-chan stretched and grinned at me blindingly. _

_ "__Let's go find cook and see if there's any food for us to steal!" She said with a laugh, bouncing up and pulling me with her. After a while, the story of the beautiful lady faded into the back of my mind._

End flashback

The sword was only inches away from my stomach when a hand appeared out of nowhere, stopping its progress by grabbing the blade. My eyes flickered up to look at my savior, who appeared to be a rather plain looking teen floating on a cloud. His hair and eyes were a light brown, and he was wearing a white blouse and white knee length pants with no shoes. His face was contorted in pain as he gripped the blade, and I shot backwards so that he could let go.

"My my," the teen said, grinning at me as he let go of the blade, "you certainly get into a lot of trouble don't you, Aave?" He asked with a chuckle, flying out of reach of the sword as Hoshi-chan's brother took a swipe at him, shouting about how the teen stopped his revenge.

"Do I know you?" I asked, racking my brains, trying to figure out if I've met a ghost like him before. The teen frowned down at me from his cloud, and rummaged around in it before pulling out a notebook.

"When are we?" He asked, pulling a quill pen out of the cloud. I blinked.

"East blue," I promptly answered, unconsciously dodging a wild slash. The teen hummed and flipped through a couple of pages before he stopped.

"Well, I have a few entries for that, so you're going to have to be more specific," he scratched the top of his head with the writing end of the quill before realizing what he was doing. I fiddled around with the watch around my neck as I answered.

"Arlong Park?" The teen hummed again, and penned something down on a page.

"DON'T IGNORE ME!" Hoshi-chan's brother shouted as he slammed the blade through my right shoulder. I held in a scream as pain blasted through me, my vision beginning to grey before I blinked it away. Hoshi-chan's brother pulled the blade out and grinned savagely, flicking the blade so that my ghost blood splattered onto the ground.

"His name's Tsuki," the teen said from his cloud, sounding a little bit bored. "Brother to Hoshi, but you knew _that_ already," I chanced a glance up, and saw him flipping through a different book. "He's more than a little mentally unstable, and has bipolar disorder. His favorite weapons are swords because, and I quote, 'I like to feel little ghosties shudder as they die'."

"That's nice to know," I muttered, imagining a bottomless chasm opening up under Tsuki's feet, only to have him use his sword to climb his way out and leap at me, laughing madly as he did so. I snapped my fingers and imagined him as a clown, grinning a little at his confusion when he tripped over his extremely large shoes and fell flat on his face.

"His weak point, his sister…" The teen was silent for a moment, watching as I did relatively harmless things like temporarily changing the ground into a ball-pit before he spoke again.

"He's not Hoshi, you know. It's okay to go crazy and beat him up."

"He's Hoshi-chan's brother. I can't just do something like that," I protested, making the ball-pit deeper when he tried to stand up. Tsuki fell on his back with a shout of anger.

"He's crazy," the teen said flatly. "He wouldn't know left from right if he wasn't trying to kill you a second time. Grow up. Hoshi's dead, I know. But isn't he just a little bit wrong in blaming you for her death? Saving you was _her_ decision, not yours." I glared at him, and he shrugged.

"Food for thought, yeah?" He started to fade. "My name's Drifter, by the way. I guess since this is your first time meeting me, nice meeting you. Soon it's going to be _my_ turn to meet you for the first time. Take care, don't die." With that, Drifter left.

I thought about what he said as I made the ground into two feet of sticky tar. He was right, I decided. Hoshi-chan made the decision to save me, and Tsuki, no matter his intentions, was smudging her memory. If his weak point was Hoshi-chan…well, it was mean, but he needed to be taught a lesson on honoring the memories of the deceased. I changed the ground back, and landed in front of Tsuki. The man grinned slightly psychotically and hefted his sword.

"So, you've decided to quit being a coward and face me eh? _Murderer of my sister?_" Unfazed, I took a deep breath, and remembered. I felt myself growing upwards, my hair shrinking back into my skull, and my chest becoming heavier. There was a gasp from in front of me, and I opened my eyes to see Tsuki looking a combination of infuriated and distraught. It was an interesting combination.

"You…YOU MONSTER!" the man shrieked, shaking as he beheld his sister standing before him, in the clothes she was wearing before she died.

"You insulted the memory of your sister, the memory that she died willingly to save the life of a friend, so you get to fight her murderer." I said, twisting the top of Hoshi-chan's cane to draw the rapier that I knew was hiding inside.

"THEN TAKE OFF HOSHI'S FACE!" Tsuki screamed, stabbing his finger at me. "YOU ARE HER MURDERER! YOU MURDERED HER!" I shook my head, oddly at ease.

"No, she made the decision herself." I corrected. "She knew that she was going to die if she protected me, but she did it anyway." I smiled brightly at the memory, which didn't hurt me as much anymore now that I had made my decision about 'The Question'. "She was a light in my long life. I miss her every day, but I've moved on." I drew the rapier and got into position.

"Let's fight!" Tsuki screamed and rushed at me, anger blinding him and he thrust and slashed wildly, movements only growing more erratic as I didn't let go of Hoshi-chan's face. I parried all of his attacks with some ease, resolving myself to use only the tricks and fighting style that Hoshi-chan used. Throwing some glitter into his face, temporarily blinding him, I dodged around him, slipping my hands into his numerous pockets carefully and throwing the various knives and ghost fighting things I found far away, pocketing the beri's I found without a second thought, knowing that that was what Hoshi-chan would have done.

"Stop the cheap tricks!" Tsuki growled, trying a wild overhand swing only for it to be parried and have a boot slam into his stomach, knocking him back onto his butt.

"But that's the way Hoshi-chan fights," I scolded him, planting my fists on my hips and clicking my tongue. That was something that Hoshi-chan did whenever the resident pranksters on the ship did something to her cabin. At the very Hoshi-like action, Tsuki roared again and leapt back onto his feet, attacking with renewed energy. Keeping in mind that he could easily slip back into creepy and methodical, I decided to end the fight fast. Unfortunately, I didn't have access to Hoshi-chan's sleep-bomb, but I did have a rapier, glitter, and green slime. I would make this work…somehow…

I allowed myself to be pushed back as I thought, and pretty soon, I had a plan. Glancing through the hole in the wall at the fight on the other side, I noticed that it was close to ending. Nodding to myself, I changed from defense to offense, pushing Tsuki back with a flurry of strikes, each strategically placed to keep Tsuki's mind off of what I was doing with my other hand. _The basics of sleight of hand are to keep the person's attention away from what you are doing._ I thought to myself, throwing some more slime over his shoulder. Soon, there was a pool of slime behind him, and I pushed him in. From what I remembered about Hoshi-chan's weapons, the glitter would explode when in contact with the slime. With my other hand, I threw the glitter and ducked out of the way when it exploded.

After the smoke cleared and I was back to my normal self, I darted over to Tsuki to make sure he was still alive. I didn't want to kill him, just seriously injure or maim him. Luckily, there was still a pulse, though I didn't think he would be waking up for a few days at least. Nodding to myself, I flew over to the hole in the wall and peered through carefully, taking not of the fact that Sanji had just kicked the Stingray fishman into the building. Grinning, I flew over to him and a crouching Zoro.

"Mission accomplished," I said happily before seeing Zoro's condition. "ZORO! OH MY CHICKEN!" I exclaimed, darting over to the injured swordsman.

"Luffy..?" Zoro asked weakly. I shook my head and sighed at him in mock-disappointment.

"And here I thought that you'd be more worried over dying instead of our Captain's fate," I said, moving on before he could notice my choice in words. "Don't you worry, the resident rubber man is safe, and probably ready to fight soon. Being a Devil's fruit user is harsh when you take a swim." Zoro nodded.

"Like I said," said Sanji. I turned around to see him smirking at Arlong. Sanji was dripping wet. The chicken? Did he _actually_ fight a fishman in the water? "insignificant small fry. Looks like we're the winners of this game." Suddenly, Arlong's bloodthirst aura intensified.

"Whoa," I said, shaking my head to clear up the fog.

"**How ****_dare_**** you wipe out my most valuable officers!?**" Arlong seethed, truly angry now. "**WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE?!**"

"How long will it take for Luffy to be ready?" Zoro asked, moving to unsheathe his sword.

"About one minute." I answered, touching the wound and allowing some coolness to spread into it. Simultaneously, I put a hand on Zoro's forehead, raising an eyebrow at the searing heat.

"You've got a fever," I remarked, forcing some cool in so that he could fight better. Zoro grunted.

"Don't let the crap-cook hear you say that," he muttered. "We should be able to hold out that long." I nodded in agreement before deeming him ready for the tough fight.

"Hopefully you guys won't join me in the afterlife," I said cheerfully. Sanji snorted.

"Somehow, I don't think this guy is going to make this fight that easy."

30 seconds later

"Understatement of the day," I muttered as I floated in between a downed Zoro and Sanji, confused as to how they were coughing up blood. All Arlong had done was throw some water at them. Sanji staggered back up and wobbled where he stood, coughing up blood. _The water must be the cause_. I decided, eyeing the handful Arlong was holding, and then looking at Sanji. He didn't look as though he could take another one of those.

"I can destroy weaklings like you without even touching them," Arlong said, "A handful of water is all it takes. Such is the difference in strength between fishmen and humans."

"WHAT A JOKE!" Sanji shouted before lifting up his foot and attacking. "POITRINE TREADER!" seeing Arlong dodge the kick, and then lift up his hand to throw the water, I blinked and was in front of Sanji, changing into a human with just a thought, crashing backwards into the cook as the water hit me.

"Ouch," I muttered as I lay on top of Sanji.

"Aave-chan!" Sanji gasped from under me.

"Don't move, Sanji," I ordered him. "I may not be a Doctor, but I'm a ghost, and this can't hurt me." _Just a little lie won't hurt._

"**Go ahead and die,**" Arlong growled. "**Your lives are worthless.**" _Not to me, they aren't_! I thought, refusing to move as Sanji tried to get up. If I couldn't protect them in my ghost form, I would in my flesh form. The water wouldn't kill me, just weaken me a little for a few days.

"ARLONG!" Someone suddenly shouted. _Odd_, I thought. _That sounds like Nami…_ I craned my neck, meeting Sanji's furious and worried eyes before looking over him and seeing Nami. In my shock at seeing her, Sanji finally dislodged me and crouched over me protectively.

"Nami…" Arlong said, hands in his pockets and greeting her like he wasn't just beating up her crew.

"Miss Nami…" Sanji said lovingly. I rolled my eyes and tried to tug Sanji away so that I could protect him and Zoro. The man refused to move.

"I was about to blast these no good pirates into bits." Arlong continued.

"I've come to kill you," Nami informed him in a strong voice. I grinned a little and furthered my attempts at escape. Sanji's grip tightened. I flinched as Arlong suddenly burst out laughing.

"TO KILL ME? BWAHAHAHAHA! In the eight years you've been with us, how many times did you try to kill me?" I blinked, meeting Sanji's equally shocked eye.

"Assassins, poison, ambushes, AND THE RESULT?" Arlong flung his arms out. "I'M STILL HERE, AIN'T I?"

"The correct grammar is 'aren't I'." I informed him, still trying to wriggle out of Sanji's grip. A splash of water near my head leaving a hole in the ground had me freeze.

"Shut up." Arlong said calmly and turned back to Nami. "You, of all people, should know that no mere human can kill me!" I stared at the hole next to my head.

"**Now listen. I'm not going to kill you. But I won't let you go! You're going to be my little cartographer forever.**"

"That's creepy as chicken," I said before I could stop myself. Luckily, Arlong either didn't hear me, or he didn't care.

"Let me up!" I whispered to Sanji, eyeing Arlong as he made an offer to keep Nami's family alive with the price that she still works for him, and Zoro and Sanji join the legions of the dead.

"No," Sanji grunted back as he was kicked by Arlong. With little strength in his arms he managed to collapse so that he was partially covering me, though he was laying on his side. Arlong's foot was pushing down on his shoulder, and I gripped Sanji's shirt and tried to pay attention to what Arlong was saying. I was fairly confident that I could throw Sanji out of harm's way if it came down to that.

"Come back to me now and save your beloved villagers, or stick with these weaklings and try to fight me together! But if you look at the shape these three are in," Arlong stooped and grabbed me by my hair, making my hat fall to the ground. I grimaced slightly as I was pulled out of Sanji's arms but managed to kick Arlong between his legs as he was lifting me, making him grimace slightly but punch me in the gut. It wasn't a lot of pain, but I found myself without breath anyway.

"…you can see what a tragic mistake that would be!" Arlong through me harshly back onto the ground in between Sanji and Zoro, the two of whom were close enough that I was partially lying on both of them.

"**Well Nami? Are you my Nakama…or theirs?**" There were shouts of protest from the villagers, but I knew that the result was up to Nami. I prayed she chose right, while at the same time remembering a conversation I had with Fairy Queen about sharing energy. Hopefully, this counted as a situation in which I could do that.

"I'M SORRY, EVERYONE!" Came Nami's shout. "FIGHT AND DIE WITH ME!" I grinned as she made her decision.

"Zoro…Sanji…" I could feel their attention on me. "I'm…going to do something…it'll seem stupid…but it'll give you two a fighting chance…" I shifted so I was on my back and grabbed their arms.

"Aave..chan…what are you-" Sanji was cut off by a sudden burst of light that came from where my hand was touching his arm.

"Use this energy wisely!" I said hoarsely, shaking as I transferred it. There was an explosion of water from where I knew Luffy was, and I grinned. "Hold out for thirty more seconds. I'll be back…" I trailed off as I faded into nothing.

It sucked being a spector and not being able to do anything. My energy was officially at an all-time low, and the most I could do was wait until I had the barest amount needed to go back to semi-ghostliness. All I was while my Nakama were down there fighting—and fighting hard—was a consciousness that somewhat existed. I was more a spectator than an actual being in that moment, and it was hard seeing Sanji and Zoro get beat up while Luffy was struggling to stand up. I really needed to imagine up something that would weaken the effect of seastone for him…

Sanji was down for the count, and Zoro was the only one left standing in between Arlong and the villagers.

"I'LL SHATTER THAT NOSE YOU'RE SO PROUD OF!" Zoro shouted, swinging a sword at Arlong's nose only to have it stop dead. I gaped. _What the chicken! His nose is like a sword!_ I thought.

"**Fool**" Arlong exclaimed. "**the reason I'm so proud of this nose is because it can't be shattered!**" as Zoro attempted to move back, Arlong attacked with…his…_nose_ *dissolves into fits of giggles before deeming that inappropriate in the current situation*

"EVEN IF YOU HAD REAL POWER," Arlong went on, "YOU'D BE LUCKY JUST TO SCRATCH IT!" I watched as the octopus got up from his unconsciousness and froze only to dive into the ocean. Unfortunately, this distracted Zoro, and allowed Arlong to stab Zoro's wound with his nose. I winced in sympathy, and then gasped in outrage as Arlong started tearing off Zoro's bandages.

"So many bandages…did you have an accident?" Arlong asked as he tore the bandages. Zoro shouted in pain. Arlong froze for a second when he saw what lay underneath the bandages. Lots and lots of blood with hints of stitches.

"WHERE DID YOU GET ALL THOSE WOUNDS?" The shark demanded, looking confused as to how a mere human could still fight while being that injured. _Mihawk happened_, I thought, thinking of the master swordsman. The smell of Zoro's blood permeated the air, and I felt a little sick, though I felt better when instead of passing out, Zoro glared at Arlong murderously. Arlong drew his hand back, possibly to kill the swordsman, when Zoro laughed twice.

"**Lying still…would've kept some of the wounds from opening up!**" He rasped. Arlong grinned.

"You're probably right. Is that you're idea of a joke?" There was a pause before Zoro answered.

"I wasn't talking about me!" A devilish grin adorned his face, making me grin along with him. I thought I knew where this was going. "**I meant octopus boy.**"

"What?" Arlong's face twitched to one of confusion for a moment before going back to neutral.

"I told you." Zoro said patiently. "This is our game…and we're winning."

"I like this game," I said into his ear. Only a twitch of his eyes alerted me that he heard. And then, Luffy was shooting up into the sky.

"**I'M BACK!**" he shouted, flying into the sky.

"It's about time…idiot!" Zoro muttered.

"I wouldn't celebrate yet," I warned Zoro. "If I know Luffy, he's going to-" I was cut off by Luffy's shout.

"ZORO!" Two hands grabbed Zoro's shoulders, and I giggled at the panicked look on Zoro's face.

"HEY…WAIT! IT CAN'T BE…" Luffy laughed.

"TRADE YOU PLACES!" He shouted, flinging Zoro into the sky. Feeling a little more powered up, I enveloped Zoro in a cushioning cloud and slowly lowered him onto the ground just outside of the side of Arlong Park that was facing the ocean.

"If Luffy loses, you guys are going to join me as ghosts," I informed the unconscious swordsman. Receiving no answer, I looked up to the sky.

"Go get 'im, Captain!"

**Hey hey! Miss me? *dodges tomatoes* love you guys too! As you can see, my writers block is on vacation right now, and I found enough time off of homework to get this done!**

**Drifter is an OC gifted to me by Guestspirit, so he's not mine. **

**Tsuki is an OC of mine, and yes, he's Hoshi-chan's insane brother. I actually cried while writing that scene. **

**As always, I'm in school, so update times aren't going to be pretty. **

** Guestspirit: I couldn't help it, I made him a little like River Song with the notebook. Sorry, it just happened. **

** everyone who read previous: The only similarities with River Song is that he jumps around in the time line, teases Aave, and carries around a notebook so he can know where exactly he is in the timeline. There is no romance in this fanfic. **

**See ya!**


	23. Chapter 23

**Ureshiitamago: Hey! Only a week since the last update! Go me!**

**Aave: I guess it also helps that you were ignoring your homework.**

**Ureshiitamago: Yeah…I'll get on that now. Ah, but CONGRADULATIONS! Ghostly Crewmate is over 100 reviews, so the 100 th reviewer; ADDBaby, gets an Omake, which is why this chapter is so long. Before the thankies, here are some responses to Guest reviews.**

**Guest: Here's the next chapter**

**Cupcake: thank you, and here; I have written some more. **

**Aave: Here are the thankies! **

**We would like to thank: ArtemisLink, Lisa Underwood, 8SilverWolf8, XxAceLawxX, teamxcution, Princesslostsoul, Cyannel, Inevoy, Zelga Lim Li, KizuNii, and Starawesomness2 for following/favoriting!**

**A special thanks to Guest, Cupcake, alexc123, QuirkyKit, ADDBaby, Momochan77, rgss, Guestspirit, and Yuuzhan Vong Jedi for reviewing!**

**Ureshiitamago: And without further ado, here's the next chapter!**

_"__HEY…WAIT! IT CAN'T BE…" Luffy laughed._

_ "__TRADE YOU PLACES!" He shouted, flinging Zoro into the sky. Feeling a little more powered up, I enveloped Zoro in a cushioning cloud and slowly lowered him onto the ground just outside of the side of Arlong Park that was facing the ocean. _

_ "__If Luffy loses, you guys are going to join me as ghosts," I informed the unconscious swordsman. Receiving no answer, I looked up to the sky. _

_ "__Go get 'im, Captain!"_

**Chapter 23: Here Comes the Ghost, Doo Doo Doo Doo**

After a few moments of fighting sounds coming from the other side of the wall, I decided that it was boring just _sitting_ there with Zoro, and I looked down at him. He was still unconscious, and was snoring loudly. A memory came to me—unbidden—of when I had drawn on his face. A Cheshire grin spread across my face, and I picked up a piece of charred wood from the ground next to me. While I was too weak to create things, I could still pick things up.

A few minutes later, I was done with my masterpiece, and _still_ bored.

"Bored bored bored bored bored bored borddedy boredy bored bodey boredy bordey bored bored bored…" I muttered under my breath, glaring at the sky. Even Margareta and Fairy Queen, who would normally occupy a certain part of my consciousness, weren't there to stave off my boredom.

"Maybe I should see how the fight's going?" I wondered aloud, talking to Zoro as well as myself. There was a sniff from the son of the leprechaun king, and he muttered a little bit, turning his head to the side. I giggled at masterpiece on his face.

"Riehiehiehiehiehie!" I laughed quietly, not wanting to wake my vict…canvas. He was my canvas. Not victim. Nope.

A few seconds later, I decided to do something with my life and go see the world. Aka, watch the fight. That decided, I nodded to myself and started floating upwards when a shout reached me.

"**I DON'T KNOW HOW TO USE A SWORD, SHARK-FACE!**" It was Luffy. My eyes widened slightly, and I looked down to see Zoro's eyes slightly open. Looking from him to the top of the wall, I flew upwards more and peeked over the top. Luffy was standing and glaring at Arlong, who was sitting on the ground holding his mouth.

"I DON'T KNOW HOW TO NAVIGATE EITHER!" I looked to the right at Nami, who was looking thoughtfully at Luffy.

"I CAN'T COOK! I CAN'T TELL LIES!" I giggled slightly at Luffy's description of Usopp. _That_ was spot-on. Luffy couldn't lie to save his life.

"AND I CAN'T IMAGINE AN ENTIRE ISLAND INTO EXISTANCE!" I blinked a little, touched that he remembered what I had done, and a little glad that I was even mentioned.

"I KNOW I CAN'T LIVE WITHOUT HELP FROM A LOT OF PEOPLE!" Luffy finished, huffing slightly from his speech. Arlong, that stupid fish-meat, started to laugh, and when he did, I could see that his teeth were broken.

"Bwahahahaha…what a clever boy you are to admit your own helplessness! What a burden it must be for your crew to have such an idiot for a captain. I don't know why they fight so desperately to save you."

"He saved _me_, and it's the least I could do," I whispered to myself, thinking back on the slight depression that had always been there, even when Coby was there to cheer me up a little.

"YOU LACK THE SLIGHTEST SHRED OF DIGNITY OR ABILITY!" Arlong shouted, "WHAT GIVES YOU THE RIGHT TO BE THE CAPTAIN OF A SHIP?! **JUST WHAT CAN YOU DO!?**" Luffy grinned like he had been waiting for that question.

"**I can beat you.**" He answered, those words weightier than any of the ones that Arlong had been throwing at him. I giggled happily, knowing in that moment that Luffy was right, he was going to beat Arlong. Those people with petty ambitions could never hope to defeat those with _dreams_.

"DO IT, LUFFY-ANIKI!" Johnny and Yosaku screamed, throwing their arms into the air. From below and behind me, I heard Zoro mumble;

"If you die, I'll kill you…"

"That's counterproductive," I informed him. "If _either one of you_ dies, I'll resurrect you two and have the distinct pleasure of coloring you both pink and then sending you to the land of little talking ponies that speak about the magic of friendship." I could almost _hear_ Zoro shiver.

"I wasn't going to die before, but now I'm _definitely_ not going to!"

"OH MY CHICKEN! HIS TEETH GREW BACK!" I shouted, leaning forward in order to see better.

"What?" asked Zoro. I found myself not able to answer as Arlong reached into his mouth, and pulled out his newly grown teeth…TWICE!

"That would be cool if it weren't slightly disgusting with a side of ew," I reported to Zoro. "He's part shark, so his teeth can grow back."

"Ah," Zoro mumbled in understanding. Either that, or his response (or, lack of) signified that he was falling back into unconsciousness.

"Now do you see how superior we fishmen are?" Arlong asked, clacking the teeth-thingies in his hands at Luffy and grinning murderously. Then suddenly, he leapt at Luffy, snapping the teeth-thingies at him with incredible speed.

"TOOTH ATTACK!" Arlong shouted as he ran at Luffy, who was narrowly dodging Arlong's attempts at separating Luffy's arm from his torso. I thought it was a very obvious and bad name for an attack, but unfortunately, my thought process stopped when it looked like Luffy was caught by one of the teeth-thingies while he was defending himself from the other. I gasped, and my faded hands flew to my mouth on reflex, shock overtaking me and tunneling my vision so that I could only see the teeth sinking into flesh.

"Luff-!" I sighed in relief when I saw that it was only one of Arlong's underlings that had gotten caught.

"WHAT?" said Shark-face yelped. "COMRADE!"

"L-lord Arlong! That h-hurts!" the injured fishman moaned, and I winced in sympathy. His head was stuck in the teeth. I could see why it hurt. But still. Luffy wasn't hurt, and I was relieved. Fortunately or unfortunately however, Arlong only seemed to grow angrier at Luffy's sense of self-preservation.

"**Why you little rubber-man…**" Arlong growled, though growling is more of a dog and large cat thing than a shark thing, but whatever. I found it extremely creepy that even though Arlong was angry to the point of radiating bloodlust, he was still grinning. Or was he just showing off his awesome shark teeth? Luffy grinned back at Arlong, disregarding the anger flowing off the overgrown fish in waves.

"Hey, I just thought of something fun!" Luffy said, thumbing something off of his cheek. If I had to guess, I'd say it was blood, but I couldn't be certain.

"HOW DARE YOU USE ONE OF MY MEN AS A SHIELD!" Arlong shouted at Luffy, allowing said man to fall to the ground. _Some leader _he_ is_, I thought. _He isn't even checking to see if his Nakama is all right._

"Hey, you attacked me first," Luffy pointed out. I snorted in amusement.

"True that!" I said happily, swinging my feet against the wall. I was almost visible again, but my strength wasn't back enough yet. Looking back over my shoulder as Arlong went on the attack again, I noticed that Zoro was finally truly asleep. Snoring and everything. Sighing in defeat, I decided to fly over to Sanji, who was sitting near where Queen Margareta had dragged Luffy out of the water. Halfway there, I watched as Luffy slammed his foot into the side of Arlong's jaw, knocking another set of teeth out.

"K.O.!" I shouted, pumping my fist in the air.

"I did it!" Luffy sounded happy about something. I finished flying over to Sanji, and sat down unnoticed next to him, opting to pay attention to the fight.

"Don't you know that my teeth ARE UNBREAKABLE?!" Arlong exclaimed, opening his mouth to grow back another set of teeth. While the villagers bemoaned Luffy's stupidity, I giggled and turned to Sanji.

"Doesn't Sharkface know that there is a limit to how fast teeth can grow?" I asked him. Sanji looked over to where my voice was, and then a confused expression came over his face. I blushed, slightly embarrassed that I hadn't remembered.

"Ah, sorry." I said with an embarrassed laugh, scratching the back of my head, "I only have the strength to fly around and talk right now. Visibility will come back with time." Sanji frowned but nodded, turning back to the fight.

"Look!" Luffy was saying, pointing at his mouth. "Now I have shark teeth too!" I let out a loud laugh at Luffy's antics. Sure enough, in his mouth were the shark teeth that he had knocked out of Arlong's mouth. I glanced to the side while I was rolling around in hysterics, and saw that everyone's jaws were dropped in disbelief.

"Are you all right? Sorry, I forgot to ask you, Aave-chan." Sanji murmured when I was sitting upright again. I looked over at him, confused.

"By 'all right', what do you mean?" I asked, watching Luffy fly through the air out of the corner of my eye.

"You had a pretty big shoulder wound when we were facing off against Arlong," Sanji explained. I winced when Luffy was chomped, cheered when he bit Arlong back, and then was about to reply to Sanji when _it_ happened.

"…its jaw muscles have the strength to bite through," Arlong lunged. "FLESH AND BONE!" He shouted before sinking his teeth into Luffy's elbow, which was up protecting his face. I shouted with Luffy, and slammed my hands through the ground, fear and anger coursing through me.

"No no no no no no no no no no," I whispered to myself, trying to stop flashbacks of Hoshi-chan to run through my head at the sight. I had been doing so well to understand that Luffy wasn't Hoshi-chan too. Luffy isn't Hoshi-chan.

I stared with wide eyes as Luffy yelled a second time, hooking the arm that wasn't being crushed around Arlong's neck, and then yanked the fishman off of his feet and smashed him into the ground, using higher ground to pry open Arlong's jaws long enough to yank his arm out of the shark's mouth. Then, Luffy fell backwards, gasping in pain. Knowing I could do nothing in this situation even though I dearly wanted to, I settled with grumbling worriedly and crouching next to Sanji, who was talking to Genzo, the windmill guy.

"If he'd taken one step back, he would have lost that arm!" said Genzo as he watched the fight.

"I doubt he knew that," Sanji retorted. "It had to be dumb luck." I shook my head, and then remembered that they couldn't see me.

"He knew," I contradicted Sanji, who looked over in my general direction with an 'explain' look on his face. I decided to be nice and elaborate. "Luffy is stupid to the general masses. He focuses mostly on food and his dream, and he has an astounding lack of knowledge of things that he should know, but he knows how to survive, he knows the human heart, he knows how to dream. But most of all, he knows how to _notice_." I peered at the fight, only to see Arlong disappear into the water. Looking back at Sanji, I could tell he looked mystified.

"He knows how to 'notice'? What does that mean?" Sanji asked. I chuckled, keeping an eye on the fight. Luffy was struggling to pull the shark teeth out of his stomach.

"I have a theory that _because_ Luffy doesn't fill his head with knowledge the way _we_ do, he notices things that no one else does. Ever wondered where that stubbornness once he's decided that you're part of his crew comes from?" Sanji still looked a little confused, but he nodded anyway. Luffy finally was able to pull the teeth out of his side, and then he stood up, looking around for Arlong, who was in the water, acting like a real shark.

"Where'd he go?" Luffy wondered aloud.

"LUFFY! HE'S IN THE WATER!" Usopp shouted from his hole in the wall.

"BUT DON'T GO LOOKING INTO IT! HE COULD SPEAR YOU WITH HIS NOSE!" I added, a little bit worried about my captain.

"The water…" Luffy looked over to the water. I looked with him, and saw Arlongs' fin protruding from the sea.

"HEY! A SHARK!"

"KALAMARI! Or wait…is that with squid only?" I asked Sanji, who chuckled warmly.

"Squid only." He confirmed. I pouted and crossed my arms.

"Aaaw…" I muttered, watching as the fin disappeared back under the water.

"He's going to shoot out of the water, Luffy! Don't lean over it!" I shouted, clambering to my feet and staring wildly into the water. Luffy, taking my advice, took a step or two back instead of forward, and just narrowly avoided a blue…thing…that went streaking past him to crash into the wall of the Arlong Park building.

"WHAT WAS THAT?!" Usopp shouted.

"A TORPEDO?" some others yelled.

"That was Arlong…I think." I said, stroking an imaginary beard.

"Hmmm…" Arlong's voice came from the building. "You dodged my attack. _But that just means you're torment continues!_" Arlong crowed, shooting at Luffy again. "SHARK DARTS!"

"He has very unimaginative names for his attacks." I commented, clenching my fists at my sides, angry that I couldn't help Luffy. Luffy dodged again, and Arlong was stuck nose-first into the concrete. I couldn't help but gape at the sight. After all, it isn't every day when you see a fishman stuck into the ground nose-first.

"HE…HE REALLY _IS_ UNBREAKABLE!" Sanji shouted in disbelief. "THAT STINKING SHARK!"

"Only his nose is," I said through gritted teeth, growling at my own inability to do _anything_ for my captain but warn him where the attacks _may or may not_ be coming from.

"HE'S GOT HIS NOSE STUCK IN THE GROUND!" Sanji shouted, pointing at the incredibleness that was Arlong stuck in the ground. I sighed in exasperation and rolled my eyes.

"Good job," I said wryly. "I didn't see that before…" Sanji had the decency to flush at my comment. Suddenly, Arlong was flying at Luffy again, though I couldn't see how he had been able to pry his nose out fast enough for that. There was such thing as physics, even though I broke many of those laws myself. This time, Luffy was hit, and I growled angrily.

"LUFFY!" Usopp shouted from his hole in the wall, "HIDE! ARLONG'S BACK IN THE WATER!" I had a feeling that Luffy wouldn't be doing anything as silly as _hiding_ at this point, so I sat back down, content-ish with the knowledge that Luffy _probably_ had some kind of plan.

"LUFFY-ANIKI! YOU HAVE TO RETREAT!" Yosaku and Johnny were shouting. I snorted. That would only cement Luffy's decision to stand and fight.

"**No.**" Luffy said, clenching his fists at his sides.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!" Sanji suddenly shouted. "HE'S GONNA ATTACK AGAIN! RUN!"

"**NO WAY!**" Luffy shouted, looking determined. "**I'm gonna hit him. I'm gonna knock him out!**" I pumped my fist in the air a little bit, and watched the water, looking for the tell-tale signs of a shark shooting upwards.

"Come on you lousy shark!" Luffy said with a huff of breath, squaring his shoulders angrily.

"DON'T YOU UNDERSTAND WHAT 'HIDE' MEANS, LUFFY?!" Usopp screamed, sounding very scared for Luffy. "YOU'RE TAKING THE FULL FORCE OF HIS ATTACKS! ANY MORE HITS AND YOU'LL BE DOOMED!" I shook my head at that, surprised that Usopp hadn't noticed that Luffy would fight until the ends of the earth for one of his Nakama. There was no limit to his loyalty if you won it.

"Gomu gomu no…Tate!" Luffy said as he stretched out the fingers of one hand. _Shield…_I thought to myself. _His fingers are a shield. _

"This'll be interesting," I commented, sitting back by Sanji.

"You never answered my question." Sanji reminded me. I flapped a hand in his general direction, not taking my eyes off the suspiciously still water.

"After the fight," I said, understanding that I was putting answering him off, and not caring in the least. Sometimes it paid to have the brain of a twelve year old.

"DARTS!" With a splash, Arlong emerged from the water ten times faster than before, and I held my breath as Luffy's fingers stopped Arlongs' sharp nose from spearing his head. I kept on holding it, then let it out with a _whoosh_ when I saw Luffy flying through the air by himself, unharmed.

"WHAT HAPPENED?" Usopp was yelling. "IS HE DEAD?!"

"NO!" Sanji shouted back. "HE BOUNCED BACK!"

"Hahaha! You're fininshed, Arlong!" laughed Luffy as he clamped onto the wall of Arlong Park. "That trick's not gonna work!"

"SHARK DARTS!" Arlong shouted again as he exploded from the floor, sideswiping Luffy and sending him spiraling into the air again. As Luffy fell, Arlong stopped himself on the ceiling of the deck above him, and took aim at Luffy.

"You can't escape!" Arlong almost sang.

"YOU GOT LUCKY, YOU DIRTY SCOUNDREL!" Luffy shouted. "You caught me by surprise!"

"BUT THIS'LL FINISH YOU!" Arlong growled.

"GET READY! GOMU GOMU NO…" I hid my face behind my hands, and then peeked through my fingers.

"**AMI!**" Luffy shouted, creating a net out of his fingers that stopped Arlong's downwards streak to a gentle fall.

"And…" Luffy made a spear out of his feet, "YARI!" the spear-feet got Arlong in the stomach, crushing him into the ground with such force that he coughed up blood and the ground cracked. I cheered and danced a little jig before I felt the bloodlust coming from Arlong mounting, not declining.

"IT'S OVER 9000!" I shouted, diving behind a rock and shivering. I squawked in fear as I heard a lot of screaming and crashes coming from the general direction of where I knew Luffy and Arlong were fighting. After a scarily big crash, I peered over the top of the rock carefully, wondering if it were possible that bloodlust alone could kill. It looked like a red haze to my eyes, and that was scary. After looking around for a moment, I saw Arlong and Luffy. Arlong was standing in front of a hole in the wall of the building, holding a strange looking sword.

"THAT'S HIS SHARK SAW!" Nami shouted, answering my unspoken question. Thank you, Nami. (u.u) The saw itself looked to be almost two times Arlong's height. Suddenly, Arlong leapt up to the second floor balcony where Luffy was looking down at him, hefting the sword behind him in preparation to swing. Luffy backed up to the wall, and then ducked as the saw crashed through the wall, jumping into the room beyond that as Arlong followed him. And then, there was silence.

"He's fled into the building!" Sanji gasped. I snuck back around the rock-shield, and sat back down next to him.

"Something important's going on in there." I mused, causing Sanji to glance over at me before doing a double-take.

"You…I can see you again! Kind of." He said. I nodded.

"I'll be a little blurry around the edges for a few days." I replied.

"Your shoulder…and stomach…" Sanji said worriedly. I shrugged, ignoring the pain that flashed through my shoulder.

"Don't you think that it's creepy that Arlong grins all the time?" I asked, blatantly changing the subject.

"…sure…" Sanji replied, slowly looking back at where I was, the building. Some muffled shouting floated to my ears and my stare intensified. For the five hundredth time in my non-life (and certainly not my last time), I wished I could see through walls. Silence fell again, and this time it was weightier, and I sensed a new kind of bloodlust emerging from where the two fighters had disappeared.

"Oh oh…" I muttered, staring at the wall. "Luffy's _angry_."

"I thought he was before?" Sanji questioned, causing me to jump. For a moment, I had forgotten he was there.

"…He's even angrier now…" I replied. "Arlong's going down for certain now." There was no answer from Sanji as he joined me in wishing that I could stare through the wall to see what exactly was going on. The silence coming from the building was so intense that when a desk came crashing through the wall, I and everyone else jumped several feet.

"It's a desk," Sanji sighed in relief. I stared at the desk as a bookcase crashed through the wall the same way the desk had. There was a foot shaped indent in the desk. It had been kicked out. Luffy was doing this. Was it to free Nami? I looked over at the Navigator, and saw her crying, holding a hand over her mouth. I looked away, feeling as though I was intruding on a private moment.

There was some more crashing and shouting coming from the building, and a lot of furniture and papers flew out of the building, when Luffy's foot suddenly burst through the top of Arlong's building, and kept stretching up, and up, and upitier. Then, there was a shout,

"**GOMU GOMU NO ONO!**" Luffy's foot shot downwards, and then there was a mini earthquake. I laughed as Arlong's building collapsed, but then flew through the debris, worried that Luffy might have been stupid and got himself speared on something. I needn't have worried. I was on the edge of the debris when there was a shift in the center mound, and Luffy stood up, bloody but alive. He stood there for a moment, understandably out of breath, before shouting.

"NAMI!" He looked up at her. "YOU'RE OUR NAKAMA!" I laughed happily and flew back over to Sanji, glad that Luffy wasn't as hurt as I was worried he would be.

"Sanji!" I cried, floating next to him as he was jumping up and down slightly childishly. "He won!" Sanji stopped his jumping, and grinned widely at me, went to hug me, and then stopped short. I laughed.

"Air hug?" I asked, holding out my arms. Sanji laughed this time, and we air hugged.

"**ARLONG PARK HAS FALLEN!**" The villagers shouted, jumping around and hugging each other joyfully. I flew over to Luffy, who was in the ruins still, and rammed into him, hugging him with all of my strength, but mindful of the wounds that he had received.

"You did it!" I cried happily. Luffy grinned.

"Shishishi! Of course I did!" With that, he hoisted me up, and picked his way down the ruins until we hit solid ground.

"HOLD EVERYTHING!" Someone shouted. Luffy and I looked in the direction of the shout.

"It's the mouse man that was with Genzo." I said, pointing at the marine. "I don't get it. Was he born that way, or does he just really like mice?"

"Dunno," Luffy said with a shrug. The villagers growled at the man's presence.

"It's my lucky day!" Mouse-marine said with a strange laugh. "I saw the whole thing, well done."

"IF YA SAW IT, WHY DIDN'T YOU DO ANYTHING!" I yelled, throwing a tomato that had somehow appeared in my hand at him. It splattered against the side of his face, and he glared at me, speaking through clenched teeth.

"It could have been a fluke, but somehow you two-bit pirates defeated the fish-men…" I made a face at him, keeping his attention away from Zoro, who I could see was sneaking up on him.

"NOW, THANKS TO YOU, THE GOLD I WAS SUPPOSED TO GIVE TO ARLONG, AND ALL THE TREASURE IN ARLONG PARK IS MINE-" He was cut off by a sudden barrage of tomatoes and potatoes thrown by me, all of them hitting him squarely on the face and in the mouth.

"STOP I-AAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" He yelled as Zoro grabbed his scruff, and none too gently, I might add. I cheered and clapped at the sight of Zoro acting so scary.

"**We're celebrating our victory,**" He sniped at the mouse-marine. "**Don't be a wet blanket.**" With that, he, Luffy, Usopp, Sanji, and I proceeded to beat up the marines. Or, in my case, give them mild cases of hypothermia.

"You better not mess with me…or I'll make you regret it…" mouse-marine said as he twitched on the ground, black and blue.

"He still doesn't get it," Sanji said, scratching the back of his head. I shrugged from my spot on Luffy's back and ducked when Nami tapped my shoulder. She replaced Luffy's hat on its rightful place on his head, and then crouched next to mouse-marine, cupping his cheek with her hand. I noticed with interest that she had her staff in one hand.

"This is for shooting Nojiko and wrecking Bellemere's tangerine grove." She said before winding up and thwacking the mouse-marine so hard that he flew across the water. I cheered.

"Again! Again!" I cried, clapping my hands in delight. Luffy chuckled under me, and I plopped my head on his shoulder.

"Thank you, Nami." Nojiko said, "I feel better now."

"Hit him a thousand times more!" Genzo growled from next to Nojiko. The mouse-marine made it back to the side of the pool/sea, gasping for breath. Nami was immediately there and pulling on his moustache/whisker things.

"Now _you_ guys are going to clean up these fishmen…and help rebuild Gosa!" She demanded, tugging on his whiskers with each demand she made. "And you don't get any of the treasure of Arlong Park! That money belongs to the people of this island! And one more thing…" She pulled his face closer to hers.

"OW! OW! Whatever you say!" The man whined. Nami glared scarily at him.

"Give me back my money!" After escaping Nami, mouse-marine and the other marines hightailed it to the gate, where they suddenly turned around.

"I WON'T FORGET THIS, YOU ROTTEN PIRATES!" mouse-marine shouted. "YOU IN THE STRAW HAT! YOU SAID YOUR NAME WAS LUFFY! SO YOU'RE THE CAPTAIN! Remember this, you've incurred my wrath! Now something terrible will happen to you! I'LL PAY YOU BACK IN SPADES!" Then, they swam away at remarkable speeds.

"Fast retreat," I commented, yawning a little.

"He says something terrible's going to happen." Sanji said, a little bored.

"How did he know about me becoming Pirate King?" Luffy wondered, hiking me up further on his back when I started to slip a little.

"That's not it, you idiot." Zoro said with a small sigh.

"HEY!" Usopp shouted, a little panicked. "WHAT'LL WE DO IF SOMETHING BAD REALLY _DOES_ HAPPEN?!"

"Calm down," I yawned again. "The most they'll do is give Luffy a bounty." In a sudden roar, the villagers ran out of Arlong Park to spread the news of its downfall.

As we were walking back to the village, the others drew a little bit ahead of us, just out of earshot for them.

"Good job," I murmured, hugging Luffy's neck. If I closed my eyes, it was like hugging Ihmisen.

"You did good too." Luffy said back, and I could hear the grin on his face. I smiled lightly.

"I'm proud of you," _Captain_…I added in my head, not wanting to say it out loud yet. Finally, we made it back to the village, and got into the doctor's office before Zoro collapsed to the ground. The doctor got him onto a bed, and then patched Luffy and the others up before starting on Zoro. Sanji and Usopp left the office when they were patched up, so it was just Luffy, Yosaku and Johnny (who were sleeping) and I in the office when Zoro was getting stitched up. I was sitting on Luffy's lap, tying knots with his fingers.

"This stitching is good, but you ruined it by moving around so much, you numbskull!" The doctor griped as he pulled the needle through Zoro's skin again. Zoro cringed and cried out in pain. I tied another knot into Luffy's fingers.

"Is there a doctor on your ship?" The doctor asked as he went to put another stitch into Zoro.

"A doctor?" Luffy asked. "Bearetta is a good doctor, but she's only available for two hours…"

"And can only do first aid," I added in quickly.

"A doctor huh…that would be nice. But a musician would come first, right?"

"Why a musician?" the doctor asked with a sweatdrop.

"Well, pirates sing, don't they?" Luffy answered. I nodded along with him, humming lightly to myself as I tied his wrist into a knot too.

"Gah! Aave! I won't be able to undo that!" Luffy cried, pulling somberly at one of his knotted fingers. I unknotted his hand for him and grinned.

"Now that Zoro's incapacitated, I think I should torture him with a song, don't you?" I asked Luffy, who laughed and nodded excitedly.

"Dooon't!" moaned Zoro as he stared mournfully at me. I giggled, and made a show of thinking about what I was going to sing.

**He Mele No Lilo**

_Mahalo nui ia_

_Ke ali'i wahine_

_'__O Lili'ulani_

_O ka Wohi ku_

_Ka pipio mai o ke anueue_

_Na waiho'olu'u a halikeole'e_

_E nana na maka i ke ao malama_

_Mai Hawai'i akea i Kaua'i_

_'__OKalakaua he inoua_

_O ka pua mae 'ole i ka la_

_Ka pua maila i ka mauna_

_I ke kuahiwi 'o Mauna Kea_

_Ke'amaila i Kilauea_

_Malamalama i Wahinekapu_

_A ka luna o Uwekahuna_

_I ka pali kapu o Kilauea_

_Ea ma kei ali'i kia manu_

_Ua wehi i ka hula o ka mamo_

_Ka pua nani a o Hawaii_

_'__O Kalakaua he inoua_

_'__O Kalakaua he inoua_

_Ka pua mae 'ole i ka la_

_Ka pua maila i ka mauna_

_I ke kuahiwi 'o Mauna kea_

_Ke'maila i Kilauea_

_Malamalama i Wahinekapu_

_A ka luna o Uw'kahuna_

_I ka pali kapu o Ka'aluea_

_Mahalo nui ia_

_Ke ali'i wahine_

_'__O Lili'ulani_

_O ka Wohi ku_

_Ea mai ke ali'i kia manu_

_Ua wehi i ka hulu o ka mamo_

_Ka pua nani a o Hawaii_

_'__O Kalakaua he inoua!_

_He Inoua No Kalani Kalakaua Kulele._

I stuck my tongue out at Zoro once I had finished, and then retreated inside my hat to recover for a little while.

When I did wake back up, fully refreshed and operational, it was the second night of partying, and my hat was being watched over by Sanji.

"Where's Luffy?" I asked, staring wide-eyed at the celebrations going on. I'd never seen a party this big before.

"Looking for food, I think…" I waited for a moment for the ball to drop. "Which is what you should be doing to get your strength back up," Sanji finally added. I rolled my eyes, but laughed good naturedly. Zoro was slumped down across from us, and was sipping from a tankard, which I suspected had that grownup drink called beer in it.

"Did _you_ eat?" I asked Sanji, floating into the air above them and hanging over an imaginary tree branch.

"Yes. Sometimes it's good to do nothing but eat." Sanji replied. I grinned as Luffy walked up.

"Hey, Sanji! That melon you were eating! Was there something on it?" He asked. I giggled at the amount of meat that he was holding.

"What's with all the meat?" Zoro asked for the three of us.

"He eats enough for the two of us combined," I said to Sanji, who seemed to think it over a little.

"You should still eat a little," He told me before answering Luffy's question. "Yeah, it was Prosciutto…that's cured ham."

"Prosciutto and Melon?" Luffy asked, conveniently not listening to most of Sanji's explanation. "Where'd you get it?"

"I dunno, this place is one big party." Sanji said with a shrug. "Now where did I get it…"

"I'll go look around!" Luffy announced before making to turn around. Before he fully did however, he turned back and stared at me.

"…"

"…" I stared back, unblinkingly. Something in my stare must have told Luffy that I was just fine because he nodded once and dashed off to go find his food.

"All he does is eat." Said Zoro, taking another swig from his tankard.

"I've had my fill of food." Sanji remarked, taking a drag from his cigarette. "…NOW I'M GONNA FIND ME A GIRL!" Sanji shouted as he ran off. I rolled my eyes and looked over at Zoro, who had fallen asleep right then. Left with nothing much to do, I drew a little leprechaun on Zoro's cheek and flew off, procuring a small piece of meat to chew on. As the night wore on, I decided to go to the Merry-go and find Gwaine. He was supposed to have checked in with me when I got there, but for some reason, hadn't.

"Gwaine?" I called as I flew up to the deck. I whistled. "Here, Gwaine!" I called again. When I passed the kitchen, I heard a sad little whimper/buzz. I froze, and then flew through the kitchen door immediately, glancing quickly around for my little dog/hummingbird. I saw him wrapped up in bandages on the table, and I gasped, rushing over to him.

"Gwaine! Oh no, what did this to you?" I asked, crooning as I adjusted the tiny pillow he was partially laying on. Another whimper/buzz made me scowl.

"One of the fishmen huh. Well, they're all in marine custody now, so rest assured, you were avenged." I muttered, imagining up a little doggy bed and blanket for him. Once he was situated comfortably, I pulled Bearetta out of my hat and stuck her next to him to keep Gwaine company. Then for the rest of the night, I milled around the ship, fixing anything that had been broken.

**Time skip**

It was the third morning since Arlong Park was destroyed, and we were setting up to leave. The villagers were gathering on the docks to send us off, and we were scurrying around on deck, doing last minute preparations. Finally done, we meandered over to the dockside railing and stared down at Johnny and Yosaku, who were striking cool thinking poses while waiting for us. Once we were gathered there, they spoke.

"We're going back to being bounty-hunters," Yosaku said. "Thanks for everything, Luffy."

"We'll say goodbye here." Johnny added. "Hope we meet again someday."

"Okay," Zoro said. "You guys take care."

"You too." They answered in synch.

"Hmm…she's not here yet." Usopp commented, scanning the growing crowd for Nami.

"Maybe she's not coming," Zoro said with a slight grin. I jokingly punched him in the arm, and sweatdropped when he fell over.

"Oops," I muttered as Sanji exploded at Zoro's comment.

"NAMI'S NOT COMING?!" He yelled, growing shark teeth. "WHY NOT?!" Instead of answering Sanji's question, Luffy huffed and questioned our cook on why there wasn't any Proscuitto. I was floating by Zoro, who was still hunched over, blue in the face.

"You look like a green haired smurf now," I noted, giggled as I dodged his sheathed sword.

"It was _your_ fault this time!" Zoro growled, "Not mine!" I laughed and latched onto Luffy's back, joining the search for Nami.

"There she is!" I called out excitedly, pointing to the figure that was standing waaaay down the road.

"**SET SAIL…**" she shouted, "**NOW!**" Then, she started to run in our direction, her face shadowed.

"She started running," Usopp said, pointing out the obvious. "What's she up to?"

"She said to set sail," Luffy said with an indifferent shrug, "so let's do it." I flew off of Luffy's back to help with the sails.

"_Yo ho haul together, hoist the color high! Heave ho, thieves and beggers! Never say we die!_" I sang loudly as the Merry started to drift away from the docks before the wind picked up her sails. There were shouts of protest from the villagers, and I flew back to the others when Nami leapt off of the dock, landing on the Merry's railing before jumping onto the deck. Slowly, she lifted her shirt, allowing about sixty wallets to fall from it. I laughed heartily as the villagers checked their pockets, finding nothing.

"SHE TRICKED US!" came the shout from the docks.

"She hasn't changed one bit," Usopp noted in a slightly exasperated tone.

"She could double-cross us again," Zoro warned, ever the wet blanket. I told him as much, and he chased me around on the deck, threatening to slit me open even though I was already dead. There were shouts of thanks from the villagers, and one odd one.

"HEY, KID!' Genzo yelled, probably at Luffy. "DON'T FORGET YOUR PROMISE!" Luffy gave him a thumbs up.

"BYE, EVERYONE!" Nami shouted, waving at them, a true smile on her face. "I'LL BE BACK!"

"Hopefully not in a coffin," I added, earning a glare from Nami, Usopp, and Zoro. I shrugged. "Always a threat, right, Captain?" I asked, grinning and fading out before zooming up to the crow's nest. Hearing Luffy's disbelieving, but happy shout, my grin widened. _I think I made the right decision, eh…Roger?_ I thought to myself, tossing the watch back and forth between my hands. Hopefully, with enough luck, I would meet up with him soon.

**I think we all know what happens next…I cry.**

**Omake: AU where the strawhats meet a genie who purposefully messes up wishes that were asked of her. **

**Thank you ADDBaby for being the 100th reviewer! Here's your Omake, hope you like it!**

**By the way people, I do take suggestions for omake's. They will pop up from time to time.**

"Booored…boooored…" The genie sighed, glancing around the cramped space that she was currently residing in.

"If only that idiota hadn't broken my bottle, I might have at least had my paints to play with," she muttered, flicking her long fingers at the sides of the barrel that was bobbing gently up and down in the waves.

"Not to mention that he was so angry about my gifting him with fool's gold when he asked for gold…" She trailed off, twirling her shortish mouse-brown hair around her finger idly, staring at the top of the barrel.

"I hope the next wisher is more…imaginative…with his or her requests," she finally said with a feral grin after a few minutes of silence. Her bright blue eyes glittered dangerously as she giggled gleefully. "I can't _wait_ to mess up their wishes! It'll be sooo much fun!" Too busy with her cackling, she didn't notice that her living quarters was being lifted out of the water by five curious people. Her laughing abruptly ended when the lid was pried off, and she emerged from the soggy barrel in a poofy cloud of pink and purple. The five figures coughed and waved their hands to dissipate the smoke. When it was gone, they gaped at the sight before them.

The lady was tall and slightly curvy. Her clothes consisted of Arabian dancer type clothing, the colors she wore were pink and purple, like the smoke. She had mous-brown hair that was wavy and chopped just below her ears, and bright blue eyes centered over a small, freckle spattered nose. She wore a mischievous grin on her face, and a gold and bronze watch around her neck.

"What are you starin' at?" The lady demanded, propping her hands on her hips and leaning forward a little to mock-glare at them. "Ain't you ever seen a genie in a barrel before?" The five shook their heads. The lady sighed, and pinched the top of her nose.

"I'm going to have to explain, aren't I?" She asked the sky before turning back to the five people and clapping her hands, changing to joyful from exasperated in a split second.

"Ya'll can call me Genie," she said. "Now I _do_ have a proper name, but one of the rules is that I'm not allowed to tell." Genie gestured to the shackles that the five hadn't seen before. The shackles weren't connected to any chains, but they looked heavy. "I can't bring anyone back from the dead, it just ain't done." All five looked a little put out at this, and Genie felt a slight twinge. "That bein' said, I _can_ give information on other things, though it's limited. Ya'll seem nice, so I'm gonna give ya a tip." The five leaned forward. "Watch yer wording." Genie grinned feraly, and the long-nosed one gulped.

"Normally, I give out three wishes to the person who freed me," she paused at that and peered at the five of them, "but since there are five of ya, I'll give ya one each."

"We should introduce ourselves." The red haired woman said. "I'm Nami."

"Sanji, at your service, lovely and most beautiful Genie," The blond had a heart for an eye, and Genie stepped back a little bit, slightly disgusted. She was never great at lovey dovey stuff.

"The G-great Captain Usopp!" The long nosed one shouted, striking a pose.

"Zoro." The green haired one said. Genie blinked at the hair.

"Is that died?" She asked, indicating his green hair. Zoro scowled.

"No." He said shortly.

"I'm Luffy," The straw hat wearing one said cheerfully. "Can you poop?" This would normally be considered an extremely rude question, but Genie was intrigued by this small group of people who were actually telling her their names. Maybe she wouldn't play around with their wishes…maybe…

"Yes, I can poop!" Genie answered with a grin. The other four people fell sideways shouting;

"YOU DIDN'T HAVE TO ANSWER HIM!" Genie just laughed and cracked her knuckles.

"Alright! Who's first?" She asked, grinning at the five. Not surprisingly, the red head stepped forward first, speaking slowly as she thought over her wish.

"I wish for a bucket full of beri." Genie grinned and snapped her fingers, a bucket full of berries appearing before Nami.

"Hey!" She protested, staring at the berries and then glaring at Genie. "That's not what I wished for!" Genie held up her hands in self-defense, staring innocently at the clouds.

"I grant 'em like I hear 'em!" Genie laughed, flipping backwards to sit criss-cross on the railing. "Next!" The blondie, Sanji, Genie remembered, stepped forward next.

"I wish for ingredients to make dinner tonight. We ran out." He wished. Genie snapped her fingers with slightly less enthusiasm as before, thinking of the ingredients needed to make tomato soup. A bunch of tomatoes, spices, and jugs of milk appeared in front of Sanji, who sweatdropped and picked them all up.

"Tomato soup tonight I guess." Sanji said as he hauled it all to the kitchen. Next was Usopp.

"I wish for a new slingshot," the long nosed boy said, holding up a well-used one. Genie, growing bored with all of the dull wishes, snapped her fingers again, and an oversized one appeared just above Usopp's head, hovering there for a second before crashing down. Usopp wobbled away to go sit against the mast. Genie turned to the last two wishers, her smile gone and her boredom back. They were probably going to ask for boring things too. To Genie's surprise, Zoro and Luffy were communicating with each other using only their eyes. Deciding to wait and see what came of it, Genie slipped back onto the deck of the ship and sat against her barrel. Were these two going to be different? Were they going to actually be fun?

"Aren't you bored?" the sudden question jolted Genie out of her musings, and she looked back up, only to hit the back of her head against the barrel trying to put some space in between her and Luffy's face which was suddenly only inches away from hers.

"What?" Genie asked, pretty sure that the question he had asked had no connection whatsoever with wishes.

"Aren't you bored?" He asked again, sitting back onto his heels. Genie blinked, and noticed that the other three had joined them again, the results of their wishes suspiciously missing.

"Umm…yes?" She replied, wincing when she realized that her answer sounded so unsure. "Yes." She repeated. "I am. Very."

"Are you a genie because you want to be?" Zoro asked. Genie frowned.

"You're getting information by putting them in question form instead of wish form, aren't you!" Genie accused, poking her finger at the two of them. They shrugged.

"You have to admit, it isn't wish format." Nami pointed out, crossing her arms with a grin. "How long have you been a genie?" Genie let out a gusty sigh and rolled her eyes.

"About 406 years. I was 16 when I was turned." Genie glanced down at the shackles, surprised that they weren't protesting her giving out information without it being a wish.

"You still didn't answer _my_ question." Zoro pointed out, hand on his sheathed swords. Genie wrinkled her nose.

"I am not a genie because I want to be…" Genie reluctantly said, fingering her watch necklace.

"Who changed you into a genie?" Usopp asked. At that question, the shackles flashed a bright red, and Genie yelped in pain, cringing as the shackles seared her skin. Images of a sneering monkey-like face, and a dead magician flashed through her head.

"Forbidden information!" she managed to gasp out, holding her hands away from her clothes so that they wouldn't get burnt. Sanji splashed water onto the shackles, which emitted a hiss as their color returned to a dull grey.

"Can we use a wish to ask forbidden information without the shackles burning you?" Sanji asked. Genie looked up at the five of them, and nodded slowly.

"I wish to know without the shackles burning you, if you are able to be set free if we wish it." Zoro wished. Genie gaped at him, but snapped her fingers. A large banner unfurled over her head which had the word 'YES' in large gold letters embroidered on it. Luffy grinned.

"I wish that you would be set free from being a genie forever." Genie cried as she snapped her fingers for the last time, the clothing turning into a pink short-sleeve shirt and a purple knee length skirt, her soft purple and pink slippers turning into purple and pink slippers. The girl watched in awe as the shackles that bound her disappeared. Genie launched herself at Luffy and hugged him around the neck.

"Ask me what my name is!" She demanded through her crying.

"What's your name?" Luffy asked. Genie grinned, and let him go, jumping up and down in glee as she answered him.

"AAVE!"

**So next up is Logue-town. Wow guys, this one's gonna be big. Lots of flashbacks, Roger and Rayleigh may have stayed at her island for a little longer than you thought, and Aave's reaction to…*ureshiitamago breaks into sobs* WHY DID I HAVE HER MEET ROGER?! **


	24. Chapter 24

**Ureshiitamago: Has it been a month? Yes! It's been a month! …So sorry, guys. I ****_did_**** tell you that because it was school time, things would be all choppy. That said, this time I only wrote a little over 4k words. Reasoning: I wanted this chapter to be short and sweet because there was a lot of negative emotions. There are no trigger warnings, but it ****_is_** **Logue town. **

**Aave: And you think that's reason to be a month late in updating because…**

**Ureshiitamago: *gulps* In all honesty, I totally forgot that I hadn't updated! I really thought that I had already done this chapter and submitted it, but apparently, I had forgone that when I actually finished the chapter…granted, it was 4 in the morning, and I had been up that late working on it, so…oops. **

**Aave: *grumbles and pouts* If you say so. **

**Ureshiitamago: *laughs nervously* Here are the thankies!**

**We would like to thank devildog452, Emerald180, GeniusPineapple, ShadowTitan264, HeartLuvAnimeGirl, suntan140, avatoa, Arayer, Maddell, DemonCats, Yuuzhan Vong Jedi, Skkiiiee, , Howk, Thero13, Shinura501, , Mirdena, and FirePsycho14 for following/favoriting this fic!**

**A special thanks to: Momochan77, ADDBaby, KizuNii, QuirkyKit, Varus the Shadow Sage, Guest, Guestspirit, AC, blackfox, Yuuzhan Vong Jedi, and Cupcake for reviewing!**

**Here's some answers to Guest reviews!**

**Guest1: Yes, yes. I let her meet Roger and Rayleigh. I don't think I'll ever let me forget that either! ^.^**

**AC: I suggest a box of tissues and Ben and Jerry's for this chapter. Also, I'm planning on Aave calling Luffy 'Luffy-nii' at some point, but it isn't in this chapter…*evil giggle***

**Blackfox: Thank you! And yes. I knew that Aave's name is 'ghost' in Finnish. Her brother's name is also Finnish. ;)**

**Cupcake: Sorry for the long wait, here is the next chapter!**

_"__BYE, EVERYONE!" Nami shouted, waving at them, a true smile on her face. "I'LL BE BACK!" _

_ "__Hopefully not in a coffin," I added, earning a glare from Nami, Usopp, and Zoro. I shrugged. "Always a threat, right, Captain?" I asked, grinning and fading out before zooming up to the crow's nest. Hearing Luffy's disbelieving, but happy shout, my grin widened. _I think I made the right decision, eh…Roger? _I thought to myself, tossing the watch back and forth between my hands. Hopefully, with enough luck, I would meet up with him soon._

**Chapter 24: Ghostly ending…or not?**

It had been a day or so since we had left Nami's home island, and I had released Bessie back into the wild after a rather heated argument with Nami over how we were going to be able to feed such a large animal. I had sadly taken the stuffed Bessie out of my hat and had tossed it into the ocean, allowing the current to carry it away a little before returning Bessie to normal again. There were many tears between the two of us before Bessie swam back into the deep blue sea.

Once Luffy had gotten over the relative shock of my officially becoming his Nakama, there was a small party wherein we celebrated Nami and my officially becoming part of the crew. I had fun coloring all over a passed out Zoro and Usopp while Luffy did a trick with straws, which I copied, much to Nami's disappointment.

The days following were peaceful, despite my constant worry about whether I was going to meet Roger and Rayleigh again. When the worry got to be a little too much, I would fly up to the raven's nest and plan pranks and new kinds of bullets with Usopp. Much to his chagrin, I would suggest things like, 'the Unicorn summoning pellet', or 'the rainbow making star'. These were quickly vetoed before we got on to making the _actual_ bullets.

It was early one morning when _it_ happened. I was helping Usopp with making something called 'the tabasco sauce star' while Nami was arguing with a Newspaper Coo. (When I say helping, I mean I was pretending Bearetta was a mad scientist while Gwaine watched.)

"Did you raise the price again?" She asked it, even though the price had been the same for weeks. In fact, it hadn't changed since I was alive.

"If you raise it again, I'm not buying from you anymore," Nami said with a frown, placing the Beri into the collection box. The Coo saluted her and flew off.

"You know, the price hasn't changed all that much since _I_ was alive," I informed her.

"It's the principle of bargaining," Nami said with a shrug.

"What's a newspaper or two?" Usopp asked idly as he carefully sectioned out bits of tabasco sauce.

"If you read one every day, it's good for the brain," Nami responded with a shrug. I copied her and then went back to playing mad scientist with Bearetta.

"No, they're _never_ going to find out what I've done with their…MUAHAHAHAHAHA!" I cackled, making Bearetta lean backwards like she was laughing. I put a scared look on my face.

"No, NO! Master! What have you _done_?! We are doooooooomed!" I cried, flopping dramatically onto my back just above the deck. My pleas for mercy from Beretta were broken off however, when Nami let out a scream. I jumped three feet in the air and spun around, eyes wide and imagining a heavy duty frying pan into my hands.

"Who? What? WHERE?" I sputtered, for a moment, before following everyone's stares to a piece of paper that had evidently fallen out of the newspaper when Nami had opened it. It was a wanted poster with Luffy on it. The reward was 30 million Beris. I started to laugh along with Luffy as he picked it up to show it off.

"Ha ha ha ha!" He laughed, pumping a fist into the air. "We're wanted dead or alive! They say we're worth 30 million Beris!"

"I see Usopp's head in the background!" I exclaimed, pointing at what was unmistakably the back of Usopp's head. Nami face-palmed at our over-joyfulness.

"As usual, you guys have no idea how serious this is," she sighed.

"Nope!" I answered cheerfully, grinning widely at her. Nami groaned in defeat.

"At that price, headquarters is probably involved! The toughest bounty hunters are going to come after us!" She bemoaned, slumping in her chair. Luffy wasn't listening to her, but instead was laughing, and it looked like fun, so I joined him.

"This is no time to be relaxing in the East Blue," Nami finally said, snapping us out of our triumphant laughing fit.

"Okay! Let's set sail for the Grand Line, men!" shouted Luffy, pumping his fists into the air. I latched onto his back and pumped on of my fists in the air, and shouted along with Usopp and Sanji.

"Yeah!" At that very moment, Zoro spoke up.

"Hey, there's an island." I let go of Luffy, and zoomed over to the railing to look. It was in the distance, but it looked like a nice place.

"It's pretty!" I exclaimed, jumping up and down in the air and pointing at the island.

"If we see that island, then we're approaching the Grand Line," Nami informed us. I actually quieted down a little from my exclaiming over the island to listen to her. "That's where the famous Roguetown is. They call it 'the town of the beginning and the end'. The Pirate King, Gold Roger, was born there…and executed there."

"Wrong…" I muttered to myself upon hearing that name again. For some reason, Nami's words settled like stones in my gut, and I frowned in thought. Roguetown. Sounded familiar.

"It's where the Pirate King died…" Luffy said, not sounding like the energetic Luffy he normally was.

"Want to go there?" Nami asked, grinning at Luffy, who just nodded, looking deep in thought.

"Gold Roger?" I asked, tugging on Nami's shirt sleeve. "Why is it _Gold_ Roger? That sounds wrong, somehow." _Roger was the one who wanted to become the Pirate King, not this _other_ Roger._ I thought to myself, ignoring the strange feeling in my gut.

"That's his name," Nami told me with a slight frown on her face.

"Are you sure…you know what, I really don't want to know after all." I said, changing my mind at the last second. I really hoped for the first time that _my_ Roger hadn't achieved his dream to make the world bow at his feet. If he was dead…I decided to stop that train of thought before something bad happened.

While I was brooding, we had docked, and the others were already off the ship. I quickly flew down with them, touching the ground and making myself visible to only them. I didn't exactly want to be human in case something happened. Also, I had been flesh and bone too many times recently for my own comfort.

"Wow! This place is huge!" Zoro remarked with a whistle.

"So this is where the age of the pirates began," Sanji added, shading his eyes with one of his hands so that he could see better.

"Right!" Luffy said, starting to walk off. "I'm going to see the execution scaffold!" _He's probably going to get lost,_ I thought to myself with a sweatdrop, clutching Bearetta to my chest. I looked over at Sanji and Usopp who were also walking off to go shopping. When I looked over at Zoro and Nami, I stopped cold, fear rushing through me.

"There's something I want to buy too." Zoro was saying, looking around the shops. _Oh no no no no no no no…Zoro…I fear for you_, I thought to myself as I worried my bottom lip.

"I'll be glad to lend you some money…at 300 percent interest," Nami sang, giggling as she did so. I groaned aloud as Zoro accepted the money and walked off.

"You are too cruel to him!" I said to Nami, who laughed at me and walked off. I shook my head and decided to just float around until it was time to leave. Nothing bad could come out of that, right?

'_Well…now that you've said it…_' Fairy Queen twinkled at me as she appeared by my ear. I frowned for a moment.

"I hope there aren't any hunters here," I said aloud, inciting a giggle out of Fairy Queen, who settled herself on top of Bearetta's head.

'_There aren't, as far as I can tell,_' She twinkled, grabbing Bearetta's ears and pretending to steer. '_Though, you may want to follow this dot,_' she added, pointing at a red dot that was floating in front of me, her voice unnaturally serious. '_It will answer some questions, and you may not like it, but you need the closure it will provide_.' Only years of Fairy Queen being my only friend along with Queen Margareta led me to follow the red dot like she suggested, despite the unsettling feeling in my stomach growing. I had a feeling that this had something to do with the mystery of the two Rogers. I clutched Bearetta tighter in my arms, mumbling an apology when the action nearly jostled Fairy Queen from her seat. Her mute nod made me more nervous, because she was only ever silent when things were serious.

"This isn't about Roger and Rayleigh, is it?" I questioned, taking a sharp left when the red dot in front of me suddenly swerved into an alley. I flew into a house for a second before flitting back out into the alley, looking around for the dot I had accidently lost. Fairy Queen's continued silence continued to worry me, and I looked down for a slit second, not recognizing the look on her face. It was completely blank, all emotions driven away from it.

"It is, isn't it." I said with a wince, locating the red dot and flying after it, albeit at a slower pace than before. More silence, and I sighed, the heavy feeling in my stomach spreading upwards into my heart.

The red dot stopped so suddenly that I screeched like a pterodactyl as I zoomed past it. I slammed on my breaks and spun around, glaring at the little dot before looked over at the door it was stopped at. Actually, it was more of a gate.

"That's bigger than Kaya's castle!" I exclaimed with a gasp, staring up at the building beyond the gate. Fairy Queen gave a twinkling laugh, and gestured towards the building.

'_It is, and you have to go in._' she said, her tone changing to slightly sad. I frowned, and flew through the gate, dismissing Bearetta as I did so. If where I was going was dangerous, Fairy Queen would have told me, but I was taking no chances. The mansion was huge and Victorian style, mainly colored in dark browns and blacks, with gargoyles staring down at intruders from the edges of the slanted roof. There were black marble stairs leading up to an impressively decorated door, which depicted a salesman getting his head chopped off by a cloaked figure.

"The person who lives here really likes sales-people, don't they?" I asked with a sweatdrop running down my head. Fairy Queen twinkled nervously beside me, and gestured for me to knock on the door. Shrugging, I did so, and leapt up in the air several feet when the door flew open without me even getting close to touching it. I gulped as a mysterious force beckoned me inside, the sinking feeling in my stomach (nonexistent though my stomach was) being replaced with something akin to nervousness and fright. I glanced over at Fairy Queen who – despite looking quite nervous herself – nodded at me to go forwards into the scary looking house.

I think that if I were alive and capable of sweating, I knew I would be doing so in buckets at that moment. The atmosphere was very clingy, the type of clingy that one usually associates with darkness. 'The darkness stuck to me like cobwebs', and all that jazz. What really got me though, wasn't that cobwebby darkness, or the fact that even though I was a ghost, I couldn't see in the dark. It was the silence. It was heavy, and if I had a heart of lungs, the workings of both would probably be the only thing I'd have heard. Seeing as neither was working (I _was_ a ghost after all), I was left with my thoughts. Which, by the way, were _loud_. I don't think I actually knew how loud thoughts could be until I was in the mansion, trying to find whoever was living there.

'_It's so quiet…_' Fairy Queen murmured, looking around. I grimaced.

"Is there a dot we can follow here, too?" I asked, also looking around. "Maybe it can show us where the light switch is." Fairy Queen coughed a little, probably trying to hide a laugh, before a voice spoke out of the gloom.

"There is no light switch." The voice said. I flinched and looked around. The voice sounded as though it was coming from all around me.

"Where are you?" I asked. "Who are you?"

"I am here, there, and everywhere. Who I am is none of your concern." The voice answered, somehow sounding amused despite the low creepiness of the tone. I crossed my arms and pouted cutely.

"You didn't actually answer any of my questions, you know." I complained, spinning around in a circle. Slowly at first, and then faster and faster until even the darkness seemed like a blur. Fairy Queen was just a line of light at eye level.

"Don't do that, it makes me ill…" The voice said groggily, still sounding like it came from all around me.

"I won't stop until you properly answer my questions!" I shot back cheerfully, not dizzy in the slightest. I just kept speeding up in my speeding until I heard what vaguely sounded like someone throwing up, and then there was a scream.

"OKAY! FINE! YOU WIN! NOW STOP SPINNING!" The voice demanded, the darkness dissipating as several candles were magically lit throughout what looked like a huge ballroom. I giggled as I stopped spinning, watching as the little birdies flew circles around me for a moment. When the small amount of vertigo was finally done, I looked around for the owner of the mysterious voice. I shrieked in delight when I saw who it was.

"GASTON!" I cried, flinging myself into his arms. The man chuckled and held me for a moment before letting go. The Shinigami looked just the same as the last time I had seen him. His long red hair was tied back into a loose bun, a few strands escaping it and hanging over light brown eyes. He had prominent cheekbones and a hooked nose, and he was always smirking. He was tall. Taller than Zoro, and wore Samurai stylized clothing, without the armor. It was all black, except for his obi, which was a ruby red to match his hair. He floated above the ground like I did, so he didn't need shoes, but he did wear white tabi, and his scythe was strapped to his back, gleaming in the candlelight.

"How have you been, Aave-chan?" He asked warmly, smirking down at me. I made a face up at him and floated upwards until we were face to face.

"I've been good," I admitted. "I have no thoughts of going to the afterlife just yet though." At that, Gaston clicked his tongue in disappointment.

"I was really looking forwards to separating your head from your shoulders too." He said with a sigh, and I punched his shoulder when his grin came back.

"Oh you! Stop messing with a girl's heart!" I seethed, turning into a heavily endowed woman wearing almost the same outfit as him, though she had short blue hair in a pixi-cut, and a blue obi. "You know you're married!" I scolded him in his wife's body. Gaston's face turned white, and he laughed nervously.

"N-now, Aave," he squeaked. "You _know_ I wasn't flirting!" I raised a perfectly shaped eyebrow, and tapped my foot on the air. Gaston deflated. "Okay, so maybe I was…a little." I laughed and popped back into my own body, sitting cross-legged in the air, still face to face with him.

"What brings you here, Gaston?" I asked, gesturing vaguely in the direction of the ceiling to indicate the island. "Isn't your jurisdiction _my_ part of the East Blue?" Gaston suddenly turned grave at that question.

"Yes, but the higher-ups allowed me to come here to talk to you." I straightened up at his sudden change of demeanor. It wasn't often that Gaston was _actually_ serious about something.

"…why?" I asked after a moment of silence. Gaston became more serious, if that was possible.

"They wanted me to do damage control in case you flipped out, because apparently, I'm the only Shinigami aside from my wife who can manage your anger." Okay. This was getting a little weird.

"What's there for me to freak out about?" I asked wearily, glancing over at where Fairy Queen was. She wasn't there. When did she leave?

"…" There was no reply except for Gaston staring at his tabi. What was so interesting about those feet coverings? I crossed my arms.

"Do you want me to turn into Yuriko-san again to get an answer out of you?" I demanded, staring at him hard. When he looked up, I was taken aback at how _sad_ he looked.

"I think you already know the answer to that…" He said softly, a crinkle appearing in between his eyebrows. I shivered, and remembered all of the times the pirate king's name was said. So similar to Roger's name, but at the same time, different.

"Is it about the two Rogers?" I asked, hoping the answer was 'no', but knowing that the answer was 'yes'. Gaston took a deep breath, and let it out slowly, as if he were gathering the courage to tell me bad news. My hands involuntarily gripped my arms from their crossed position, and I bit the inside of my cheek.

"There isn't two Rogers." Gaston finally said after a while. I felt my breath hitch, and I struggled to say something, _anything_.

"…and?" I whispered, dreading the answer. Gaston fidgeted a little, slipping his hands into his sleeves, creating a sort of monk look.

"Gol D. Roger and Gold Roger are the same person." There it was. The truth I was running from. My world slipped away, I felt like I was floating, a different kind from my usual, and that I had no control over my ghost bodies movements. It was like deja vu, seeing my body from the outside, like when I died. I felt empty, but there was some kind of emotion boiling beneath that emptiness, something I couldn't really decipher. I noticed – a little belatedly – that Gaston was shaking me, yelling something. I couldn't hear him though. There was just a ringing in my ears, everything seemed to be happening in slow motion. Was this what shock felt like? Roger was dead. Deep down, of course, I always knew this to be true, but I never really believed it until Gaston told me.

My friend was dead. There was nothing I could have done about it, since he was dying anyway. But…I realized that there were tears slipping down my face. It _hurt_. The world came crashing back onto me, and suddenly I wasn't having a slightly skewed out-of-ghost experience any more. I was breathless when I shouldn't have been, tears were flowing when there shouldn't have been any, and my chest _ached_. Roger was dead. Those three words kept repeating themselves over and over in my head, drowning out Gaston's frantic voice, making me ignore him shaking me.

Outside, rain started to fall.

Finally, Gaston's shouting reached my ears.

"I KNOW THAT IT'S SAD!" he was shouting. "AND I KNOW THAT RIGHT NOW, HIS DEATH FEELS LIKE A BETREYAL! DON'T YOU THINK THAT THERE ARE OTHER PEOPLE WHO FELT THE SAME WAY?! HIS DEATH EFFECTED _EVERYONE_! HE MADE A DIFFERENCE! AND RIGHT NOW, THE ONE YOU CALL CAPTAIN IS IN TROUBLE! ARE YOU GOING TO MOPE OVER SOMEONE WHO'S LONG DEAD, OR ARE YOU GOING TO HELP THIS MAN MAKE HIS OWN DIFFERENCE!?"

The world was back in perspective.

"Luffy's in trouble?" I asked, finally snapping out of my fog of grief. Gaston's slightly panicked look was all I needed. "Where?"

LinebreaklinebreakhelloI'malinebreak

I cursed silently to myself as I zoomed over the rooftops, breaking my old record speed by a mile.

"Poppy seeds and cherries!" I growled. "That boy gets into too much trouble for this old heart to take! Though I'm a ghost so my heart isn't real…" I shook my head. Now was not the time to be making jokes. "Getting executed my _foot_!" I shouted, putting on an extra burst of speed. The rain had let up for a little bit, and I screeched to a halt in the air when I reached where the execution platform was. I growled when I recognized the clown. He was sitting on a wooden block that was Luffy stomach down on the top of the platform.

"I'm sorry," Luffy was saying in a monotone, looking quite bored. "Please don't kill me!"

"IDIOT!" The clown shouted. "AS IF I'D SPARE YOU!" There was some murmuring from the crowd, and I looked up at the clouds. Idea, ding ding ding. Luffy was made of _rubber_. The clown was not. A little evil grin spread across my face, and I raised my hands to the sky, every negative feeling bubbling up my chest to lend a hand. The clouds started turning a dangerous looking black color.

"Any last words?" The clown was asking Luffy. "You have a big audience." Luffy didn't say anything, but looked like he was pouting. "Aw well, never mind that." The clown went on. "No one wants to hear it."

"**_I AM GOING TO BE THE PIRATE KING!_**" Luffy suddenly shouted. I grinned at the conviction in his voice, gathering more dark clouds. They were starting to rumble, but it just wasn't enough. The clown was raising the sword over his head to decapitate Luffy. Someone cleared their throat behind me. I glanced over my shoulder to see a cloaked figure standing on the edge of the roof.

"I'll take it from here," he said, just as two voices I knew well yelled out below for the clown to stop the execution. I blinked at the man standing behind me, and – sensing that his intentions were good for us – flew down to join Zoro and Sanji.

"**Sanji! Zoro! Aave!**" Luffy shouted. "**Help!**" Zoro jumped and looked behind him, and I grinned, flashing a peace sign. Sanji grinned, and the three of us jumped forward.

"Tear down the scaffold!" Zoro ordered, slicing through several of the enemy.

"Got it!" Sanji replied, leaping forward to knock a couple of people unconscious. There was a moment of confusion when the opposing pirates milled about in confusion before the clown yelled for them to attack, which they did with vigor. I jetted through pirate after pirate, aiming right for the scaffold. If that man was going to do what I thought he was going to do (which was what I was going to do), I figured that I had better weaken the bottom of the scaffolding at least. _Please, let me make it in time!_ I begged whatever god may have been listening at that point. Roger and Hoshi-chan were both dead, and I didn't think I could bear it if Luffy died as well. I gritted my teeth and tore through more pirates, leaving dozens of hypothermia victims behind.

"BWAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" The clown laughed. "YOU CAN SEE THE WHOLE THING FROM OVER HERE! YOUR CAPTAIN IS DEAD!" The cold rushed through me, and instead of giving the pirates hypothermia, I literally froze them as I rushed forwards, getting nearer and nearer to the scaffold. _Shitaki mushrooms!_ I cursed to myself. _Why in the name of ramen didn't I go to help him when I was _above _the crowd!?_

"DARN YOU!" I heard Sanji shout from a short distance behind me. I put on another burst of speed, desperation being the only thing driving me at that point.

"Zoro! Aave! Sanji! Usopp! Nami!" Luffy called. _Just a little more!_

"**Sorry. I'm dead.**" Those words. I lifted up my head as I crashed into the scaffolding, weakening the supports to the maximum. Luffy…he was…smiling. I let out a scream.

"**NOOOOOO!**" I screamed, flying up the scaffold, hoping to get there before the sword fell.

"**NO!**" Zoro echoed, his sword clattering out of his mouth before he picked it up and started cutting up enemies again with a vengeance.

"**DON'T TALK CRAZY!**" Sanji shouted, dropping his cigarette and staring at the scaffold in horror as he too began to whip through the enemies like a whirlwind.

Suddenly, out of nowhere, I noticed a lightning bolt emerge from the heavens, lacing down to strike the tip of the sword that was so near to Luffy's neck. I stopped in my tracks as the scaffolding burst into flames and crumpled to the ground. I floated down to the wreckage, feeling strangely at peace as I grabbed Luffy's hat out of the sky. The man himself walked out of the wreckage and looked up at me. I grinned slightly in relief and plopped the hat on his head before setting myself down on his shoulders, still invisible to everyone except for him and the crew.

"Hahaha!" Luffy laughed, oblivious to the rain falling. "I'm alive! Lucky me!"

**Hey guys! Short chapter, I know. Sorry 'bout that. :( I could have dragged the whole 'finding out' thing longer, but whenever I write a whole bunch of emotions, I start to feel like the character feels. This chapter was pretty full of tears. I think I went through a whole box of ice cream! (Much to my mom's horror…it was her favorite ice cream. As punishment, she took me to the gym every night for a whole week! Ugh. Talk about torture.)**

**Anywho, since Christmas break is starting for me, I'll have more time to write. A Ghostly Crewmate is almost a ****_year_**** old! Can you believe that!? Come to think of it…Spirit Contract only lasted a year…hmmm…welp, that's not going to happen with this one. **

**See ya'll next time!**


	25. Chapter 25

**Ureshiitamago: Quick hello! MERRY CHRISTMAS! Okay. Done. Thankies, then bed..thankies, then bed. I will answer reviews that weren't guests tomorrow. Today…whatever…soooo tiiiired….**

**We would like to thank: Elaniza, DarkSonicDX, KingExcaliber, Sylanc, JayXGrmR, girlkitsune, whosy0urdady, JediGemini, 14fox, justme2134, AdriWinters117, Rei Slayer, and Futago no Akuma Shimai for following/favoriting.**

**A special thanks to blackfox, Suparpie3, Momochan77, CallmeEevee, Cupcake, Varus the Shadow Sage, ADDBaby, QuirkyKit, and 14fox for reviewing!**

**Onto replies to guests!**

**Blackfox: Thank you! And have a happy Christmas!**

**Sugarpie3: They will soon, and it'll be as awesome as I can get it!**

**Cupcake: I'm going to reply to both here. Thank you for loving this fanfic! And, yes, I'll use your character, but I'm not planning on putting more people on the crew than were in the original. While that might change over time, I might wait a while before introducing your OC. Even then, she'll be more like Gwaine, popping up every now and again. **

I grinned slightly in relief and plopped the hat on his head before setting myself down on his shoulders, still invisible to everyone except for him and the crew.

"Hahaha!" Luffy laughed, oblivious to the rain falling. "I'm alive! Lucky me!"

**Chapter 25: Have a Holly, Ghostly Christmas!**

Laughing in relief, and some amount of disbelief, I clung to Luffy's neck and glanced up at the rooftop where I had left the mystery man. The shadow was there, and looked like it nodded before disappearing in a flash of lightning.

"Do you believe in a higher power?" I heard Sanji ask. Returning my gaze to my nakama, Zoro answered him.

"Don't talk nonsense, let's get outta here." He growled, glancing around suspiciously. "We're not in the clear yet."

"Do you, Aave-chan?" Sanji asked me, looking like he was actually curious this time instead of messing around with Zoro. I shrugged indifferently.

"I know that there are Shinigami, but I've never asked Gaston or Yuriko-san about any so called 'higher power'." I answered, leaning on Luffy's head. "And anyways, we've got company." I was proven right when the marines who had thus far remained at the sidelines started running forwards with a scream.

"SURROUND THE SQUARE AND CAPTURE THE PIRATES!" They shouted, their guns pointing forwards with the bayonets attached at the end. I squeaked and clung to Luffy's head as he, Zoro, and Sanji suddenly leapt into action, running full tilt at the only opening left leading out of the square. I laughed happily as Luffy spun around to run backwards for a bit, and we both made faces at the marines who were pursuing us.

"They are sooooo slow!" I crowed, making a literal pig face at them, causing a few marines to stop in their tracks suddenly and contemplate all the mistakes they had made in their lives.

"The wind's come up," Zoro noted, staring at the sky.

"That's because of Storm-ossan!" I said cheerily. Luffy flipped back around to face the others.

"Storm-ossan?" Sanji questioned, but Luffy interrupted him.

"Those guys sure are persistant!" He exclaimed, twisting a little to point behind us. "Wanna stop and fight them?"

"We don't have time!" Sanji replied, putting on a little extra burst of speed. "Nami told us to hurry back to the ship!" I noticed that he didn't add the ~swan! –heart- like he usually did, but chose not to mention it in the event that he might get all mushy and stuff. Yuck yuck, and triple yuck! I made a face as we ran on in silence for a few minutes before I made out a shadowy figure standing before us. So did Sanji, apparently, for he seemed to perk up a little.

"RORONOA ZORO!" It was a womanly yell. It was a woman. She was yelling at Zoro. All these observations took less than a second before I started to tease Zoro.

"Ooooooo, Zoro's in troooouuuuuble!" I crooned, giggling madly as he glared at me. The marines behind us seemed to be very happy about seeing this woman.

"SERGEANT TASHIGI!" They shouted happily. I suspected that a fair few of them had crushes on her, she did look like a beautiful woman. I plopped my chin on Luffy's head, glancing over at Zoro as Tashigi accused him of lying to her. Sanji was instantly yelling at Zoro with shark-teeth.

"WHAT DID YOU DO TO THAT GIRL?" He screamed. I giggled, and tightened my grip on Luffy's neck without choking him in an attempt to stay on without too much struggle.

"Well, you never told me you were in the Navy!" Zoro retorted.

"I'm going to take Wado Ichimonji away from you!" Tashigi announced, drawing her sword.

"Let's see you!" Zoro grinned, leaping at the chance for a duel with another swordsman…er…woman. "Go on ahead!" He said to us as their swords clashed with a _klang_.

"Ok." Luffy said, grabbing Sanji's collar when it looked like the man was about to attack his green-haired Nakama for attacking a woman.

"HE'S ATTACKING A GIRL!" Our cook shouted, outraged.

"She seems like she's well able to defend herself," I commented, twisting around precariously in order to watch the fight. The two of them were a blur, though I could tell that Zoro was holding back some. I turned back around as Luffy turned the corner, my head high up enough that it went through a random sign that was in the way. I grumbled a little about that, but held on with renewed force.

"Hey!" Luffy exclaimed, peering through the rain that was now coming down in sheets. "Who's that guy?"

"He's got mus-k-ls." I noted, letting go of Luffy and flying through the air with them.

"Not again, and what are mus-k-ls?" Sanji asked me. I grinned at him, and pulled my hat further down my head. My long hair was threatening to defy-gravity-it-off.

"Muscles!" I announced as we drew closer to the mystery man.

"So it's you…Strawhat Luffy." The man said gruffly. He had grey hair and was smoking not one, but _two_ cigars. Wow was _he_ in for a short life. I tsked and shook my head in sadness. I studiously ignored the questioning look that Sanji sent me, not wanting to explain to someone who was equally fond of smoking as this person in front of us was.

"Who are you?" Luffy and I asked in synch. I savored that wonderful moment, but also paid attention to the conversation.

"The name's Smoker." The man bit out. "Captain Smoker of the Navy." He quickly shifted his stance, and _literally_ shot his arms out at us. "AND I'M NOT LETTING YOU GET AWAY!" The smoke passed through me harmlessly, but I decided that was because I was still invisible to him. I suddenly got an evil thought, seeing the handle that was sticking up over his shoulder. What a good time to disarm him! Belatedly, I looked over at Luffy, who was captured by the smoke. I sweatdropped. Smoker was a Devil's Fruit user. All the more reason to disarm him.

Which is what I did, and replaced his stick thingy with a large pink stick thingy that looked and weighed the same as _his_ stick thingy, which I was still holding. Meanwhile, Smoker had thrown Sanji against a wall, causing Luffy to attack Smoker, only to have his fist fly through Smoker's torso like it was made of smoke. Which…I guess it was…huh.

"_You're_ the one worth 30 million Beris?" Smoker asked in a condescending tone after disappearing for a little bit. His hand clamped down on Luffy's head, and suddenly Luffy was face planting onto the ground with Smoker landing on his back. I grimaced. For a normal person, that would have most likely broken their spinal cord and a couple of ribs.

Deciding that Luffy would be fine when Smoker started to reach for the fake stick thingy, I flew over to Sanji to try and conscious-ify him. I thought for a moment before changing my voice to Nami's.

"Oooh Sanji, dear!" I purred, laughing when Sanji jumped up, nose bleeding a little.

"WIND BLAST!" I heard Storm-ossan shout, and that was when all slippers broke loose. Despite the fact that I didn't know which way was up in that spinning vortex of confusion, I cackled madly, enjoying every minute of it. Finally, the gust that was spinning us head over heels died down enough for us to touch surface. I spun in place for a moment or two before righting myself and shooting after Zoro, who was running at Luffy and Sanji a little ways ahead of us.

"LUFFY! RUN! WE'RE GONNA BE TRAPPED ON THE ISLAND! IT'S A HUMONGOUS STORM!"

"THIS CALLS FOR A SONG!" I shouted giddily as we caught up to Luffy and Sanji, who were unsteady in regaining their feet for a moment before catching the momentum.

"**NO YOU WILL NOT!**" Zoro screamed at me, causing me to wilt whilst speeding at an amazing pace.

"B-b-b-but-"

"NO!" was the final answer. I sniffed a little, but decided to sing once we got to the ship. The dock was only a minute or so away from where we had landed, and we could see the Merry straining her rope, Usopp holding onto the rope from the ship, one leg draped over the railing in order to hold it better.

"SHE'S STALLING!" I shouted over the rain. "LET'S HURRY!" Usopp echoed my sentiment from the ship.

"LUFFY!" He shouted. "HURRY! HURRY! THE ROPE WON'T HOLD MUCH LONGER!" Having no real reason to watch as everyone else climbed aboard, I just zoomed over to the ship myself as everyone else clambered on. I again cackled madly as the rope finally gave out, snapping against the strain. Since everyone was already on board, there was no real problem with this but the fact that we lost a good amount of rope.

It was invigorating, being out on the open sea during a storm. This was exactly what I had imagined pirating to be like when I was alive while running around the island with my friends. There was a lot of rushing about, tying and untying ropes so that we wouldn't capsize, and the sails wouldn't rip. There were a few close calls before Luffy pointed out a light.

"There's a light!" Luffy shouted, clinging to his special seat.

"The island's lighthouse?" Zoro suggested, the crew starting to congregate to the front.

"That's the guiding light!" Nami said with a grin, placing a hand on her hip. "Beyond that light is the entrance to the Grand Line." She turned to look at Luffy along with the rest of us. "So, what's it going to be?" She asked. Luffy grinned.

"The traditional barrel-breaking ceremony, of course!" He announced. The rest of us (bar Usopp, who was shaking in his boots…again…) grinned, and Sanji rolled an empty barrel over for us to use while the rest of us gathered around it.

"DO WE HAVE TO DO THIS IN THE MIDDLE OF A STORM!?" Usopp demanded. I fancied that I could see his nose actually shivering as well as the rest of him. It was an interesting sight.

"Okay, let's launch the ship into the great ocean!" Sanji said, ignoring Usopp's demand.

"ALL RIGHT!" Luffy shouted excitedly, pumping his fists in the air. I joined him in the fist pumping, whooping along until Nami gave me a joking death glare. I grinned sheepishly and bleated a little to show how sheepish I felt, earning an odd look from everyone but Luffy, who laughed instead.

"**I'm going to find All Blue.**" Sanji started us off, placing his foot on the barrel. Luffy immediately followed suit, gritting his teeth determinedly.

"**I'm gonna be king of the pirates!**" He announced, a look of intense concentration on his face. Since I had two, but only wanted to say one, I hovered an inch above the middle of the barrel.

"**I'm going to see the world I couldn't see!**" In my head I added, _and see this crew to the top, no matter what!_

"**I'm going to be the world's greatest swordsman!**" Zoro said, placing his foot on the barrel a little heavier than Sanji, but lighter than Luffy's crash.

"**I'm going to draw a map of the world!**" Nami grinned, her foot making only the slightest noise when it touched the top of the barrel.

"**I'M GOING TO BECOME A BRAVE WARRIOR OF THE SEAS!**" Usopp yelled, shoving his foot down on the barrel, narrowly missing an ice bath by going through my foot. Almost in slow motion, I rose up a little along with their feet, before we crushed the barrel in a loud _KRASH!_

"**GRAND LINE, HERE WE COME!**" we shouted, laughing and feeling the best, like nothing could stop us now. We felt invincible in that little storm, our dreams seeming too big for the universe to kill us off (though I was already dead, so there was no problem there for me).

The storm was staying relatively steady, so I decided to sit in Luffy's lap while he clung to his special seat. He didn't seem to mind, so I decided to sing the song I had thought of on the way over.

**Shiver Me Timbers**

_I'm leavin' my fam'ly_

_Leavin' all my friends_

_My body's at home_

_But my heart's in the wind_

_Where the clouds are like headlines_

_On a new front page sky_

_My tears are salt water_

_And the moon's full and high._

_And I know Martin Eden's _

_Gonna be proud of me_

_And many before me _

_Who've been called by the sea_

_To be up in the crow's nest_

_Singin' my say_

_Shiver me timbers_

_'__Cause I'm a-sailin' away._

_And the fog's liftin' _

_And the sand's shiftin'_

_I'm driftin' on out_

_Ol' Captain Ahab_

_He aint got nothin' on me, now._

_So swallow me, don't follow me_

_I'm trav'lin' alone_

_Blue water's my daughter_

_'__n I'm gonna skip like a stone._

_So please tell my missus_

_Gotta tell her not to cry_

_'__Cause my goodbye is written_

_By the moon in the sky_

_Hey and nobody knows me_

_I can't fathom my stayin'_

_Shiver me timbers_

_'__Cause I'm a-sailin' away._

_And the fog's liftin' _

_And the sand's shiftin'_

_I'm driftin' on out_

_Ol' Captain Ahab_

_He aint got nothin' on me, now._

_So swallow me, don't follow me_

_I'm trav'lin' alone_

_Blue water's my daughter_

_'__n I'm gonna skip like a stone._

_And I'm leavin' my fam'ly_

_Leavin' all my friends_

_My body's at home_

_But my heart's in the wind_

_Where the clouds are like headlines_

_Upon a new front page sky_

_And shiver me timbers_

_'__Cause I'm a-sailin' away._

"OH NO, NAMI!" Luffy suddenly shouted, swinging so that the both of us were hanging upside down. "THE LIGHT'S GONE OUT!"

**Here is where the actual fanfiction stops (for now, don't freak out at me) and the omake's begin. I think someone asked for Sanji's reaction to Aave being able to turn into beautiful women? And then there's a Christmas special.**

**Here's Sanji's reaction!**

One day in the East Blue, as we were sailing away from Cocoyashi, Sanji brought something up.

"So, you said you were around 400 years old?" He asked me, leaning against the railing where I was brushing Queen Margareta's hair. Not stopping the strokes of my brush against her hair, I turned to look at him thoughtfully.

"I'm 422 years old exactly." I said ponderously, thinking back over the years. I was pretty sure about my age, but I could have been mistaken and missed a year or two. I shrugged that possibility off. Age doesn't really matter all that much when you're a non-sentient being. Judging by Sanji's gape, however, age mattered very much to sentient beings.

"You're gaping," I informed the blond, "and how would that look to your precious Nami-swan?" I did a pretty good impression of his heart eyes and body wiggle, even incorporating his voice for the full effect. The shocked look that most of the crew who were near enough to overhear gaped at me in horror.

"You just stole his voice!" Usopp squeaked. I blinked at him for a second.

"Of course," I grinned menacingly, cackling evilly and rubbing my hands together, Margareta's hair completely forgotten. "For I am URSULA! I STEAL PEOPLE'S VOICES IN RETURN FOR INFORMATION!" I jumped up from my sitting position and thrust my forefinger into the air, imagining waves crashing behind me.

"But I can still-" Sanji was cut off by Nami frantically making a slicing motion across her neck. The man instantly backpedaled and grasped his throat and mimed trying to talk. I continued to laugh in my evil voice before Zoro stopped me.

"You can change your voice," he said, "but I seem to recall you changing your body into a sword so that I could fight better on Usopp's island." I stopped my cackling and nodded, returning my voice to normal.

"Yep. I can usually change my ghost body pretty well if it's into another humanoid form, but inanimate object are harder." I said in my best teachery voice. I even imagined glasses onto my face so that I could push them up my nose, causing them to flash and hide my eyes dramatically. Only problem with that was I couldn't see them, so I tossed the glasses away, and they disappeared after falling for a millisecond.

"Can you change into what you'd look like in your teen years?" Nami asked curiously, raising an eyebrow. I grinned at her.

"You just want me to change so that you'll feel like there's more than one girl on the crew~!" I sang, laughing as she face-palmed. I nodded though, and concentrated. My hair reverse grew, shrinking into my scalp until it was about just below my ears. It was still wavy, just easier to control. I could feel myself growing, and my body develop curves, but not too much curves, about half the size of Nami, if I had to guess. I kept my original clothes, white t-shirt, white bicycle shorts, knee pads, and knee high striped socks, but the t-shirt was a little snug, as were the bicycle shorts. I spread my hands out in a here-we-are gesture, and grinned at Nami cheekily.

"Satisfied?" I asked. My voice was a little deeper and slightly velvety when I talked, and it threw me off for a second before I got over it. Nami smiled and nodded, turning back to her paper. I looked over at the boys. Luffy just shrugged.

"I don't really care," he said, picking his nose with his pinky. I grinned. As expected. Usopp was an interesting shade of pink.

"osebs EJFBWOE ubgww eforgosbafgg…." …I couldn't even understand what he was saying. Zoro was laughing at Usopp, but gave me a thumbs up as he thumped Usopp on the head with his sheathed sword. Hmm…that was the only sword he had left…that would be a problem in the future, I knew. Sanji…

When I turned to Sanji, his cigarette fell out of his mouth, and he seemed to choke for a moment. I grimaced slightly, backing up a little for the reaction that I knew was coming. …yup. Sanji's eyes became hearts, and his body became all wiggly.

"OH, AAVE-CHAN! –heart- IF ONLY YOU HAD HELD ON FOR JUST A FEW MORE YEARS~! –heart- YOU ARE BEAUTIFUL! A SUNFLOWER WHO BLOOMS IN THE WINTER! A-" He was cut off by me throwing him off the ship, back in my child's body.

**Aaaand here's the Christmas special!**

"_You're a mean one, mister Grinch,_" I sang as I hovered over Zoro, who was doing pushups. He was somewhere around 1094, but I lost count after that.

"Stop it," Zoro growled in between counting.

"_You really are a heeeeeeeel!_" I continued, flipping onto my stomach and floating up and down to be face to face with him. I grinned evilly when he glared at me, and plowed on. "_You're as cuddly as a cactus, you're as charming as an eel, mister Griiiiiinch! You're a bad banana with a…greasy black peeeeeeeeeeel!_" Zoro groaned in defeat when he lost count and had to start back at one. I cackled merrily and flew off to my next victim.

"_You're a monster, Mr. Grinch,_" I serenaded Nami, who was trying to read a book. We had stopped for the day in order to have a small rest, so everyone was relaxing. Being the pranker I was, I remembered that I hadn't pranked anyone in quite a long while, and that just wouldn't do.

"_Your heart's an empty hoooooole,_" Nami growled slightly and dropped the book onto her lap, stuffing her fingers into her ears and glaring at me, her eye twitching. That only made my already joker-esque smile wider, and I continued on, enjoying the reaction I was getting out of her. _"Your brain is full of spiders, you have garlic in your soul, Mr. Griiiiiiiiiiinch!_"

"LALALALALALALALALALALALAAAAAA!" Nami shouted over my singing. I patiently waited, my smile becoming not very human as I waited. Once she finished, and seemed to think I was done, I started again.

"_I wouldn't touch you with a…thirty nine and a half foot pooooooooole!_" Nami screamed and threw her book at me. Though it would have just flown straight through me, I dodged it with a mad cackle and zoomed off to see Usopp.

"_You're a foul one, Mr. Grinch,_" I started watching in delight as he froze in creating a tabasco-star. When he turned to me, the movements were almost wooden, and he had the most delightfully frightened look on his face. Unperturbed, and trying not to giggle like a crazy person (which I most definitely _was_), I went on.

"_You have termites iiiin your smiiiiiiiiiiile!_" Usopp looked horrified, clapping his hand over his mouth and letting out a muffled scream. This only served to make my fun more funner than it had been, and I jumped up and down in the air as I more-crowed-than-sang the next part. "_You have all the tender sweetness of a seasick crocodile, Mr. Griiiiiiiiinch!_" Usopp was crying now, and it wasn't because of the tabasco sauce that he had spilled on his pants. I let out a mad sounding giggle, making him cower more, making me giggle again, and him cower more, and me…you get the idea. I decided to be nice for once and finish it up before he died.

"_Given the choice between the two of you, I'd take the…..sea sick crocodiiiiiiiiiiiile!_" Usopp collapsed. My work there was done. I sweatdropped as I flew to the kitchen where I was sure Sanji would be at this time of day. Usopp was the only one to actually faint. Was my singing really that bad? I thought about that for a moment. Well, seeing as I was tone-deaf…probably! My grin flew back onto my face and I once again cackled evilly, adjusting the santa hat on top of my head.

"_You're a rotter, Mr. Grinch,_" I belted out as soon as I entered the kitchen. There was a yelp as Sanji whipped around, eyes wide as he took in my appearance. He had gone white, and I was afraid for a moment that he was going to pass out just as Usopp had. He didn't.

"_You're the kiiiiiing of siiiiinful sots!_" The empty pan that was in his hand clattered to the floor as he gaped at me. No small wonder. I was completely decked out in red and green, as well as wearing jingle bells anywhere I could fit them, resulting in a tumultuous clamor whenever I moved even the slightest bit. "_Your heart's a dead tomato splotched with moldy purple spots, Mr. Griiiiiiiiinch!_" Sanji looked like he had forgotton to breath. Did I mention the _fabulous_ beard that was adorning my face? It was an almost neon white, and it brushed the ground when I was floating about face height with Zoro. To put it simple, it was looooooong.

"_You're a three decker sauerkraut and toadstool sandwich…with arseniiiic saaaaaauuuuuuce!_" Having some pity for Sanji, I flew over to his non-breathing, wide eyed form and gave a couple whacks at his back, leaving him to gasp his breath back. Finally, I left to go find Luffy.

"_You nauseate me, Mr. Grinch,_" I started as I flew up behind him. Luffy turned around on his special seat and looked at me for a moment before smiling and patiently waving for me to go ahead. I blinked, but grinned.

"_With a nauseous suuuper 'naus'!_" Seeing that my audience was still there, and, in fact, not at all perturbed by my dress or horrible singing, I shrugged and went on, finishing that verse in one go. "_You're a crooked dirty jockey and you drive a crooked hoss, Mr. Griiiiiiiiiinch! Your soul is an appaling dump heap with the most disgraceful assortment of rubbish imaginable. Mangled up in…tangled up knoooooooots!_" I was going to fly off when Luffy stopped me.

"Isn't there one more verse?" He asked. I blinked.

"Well, yeah." I answered. "But I think that I've traumatized everyone enough with just that." I admitted. "I don't think Usopp's going to be functional anytime soon."

"Sing it to me then." Luffy ordered, a content look on his face. I grinned, sitting criss cross on the air in front of him. This was what my brother would have done all those years ago, and it made my heart warm thinking about that.

"_You're a foul one, Mr. Grinch. You're a naaaaasty waaaasty skunk! Your heart is full of unwashed socks, your soul is full of gunk, Mr. Griiiiiinch! The three words that best describe you are as follows, and I quote…'stink, stank, stunk'!" _


	26. Chapter 26

**Ureshiitamago: Apparently, there's a rumor going around that I'm not going to write anymore. This is not true! DX**

**Aave: It'd better not be…**

**Ureshiitamago: It's not! I may be a little busy, so updates will of course be sporadic, but that doesn't mean I'm done. Nuh uh.**

**Aave: We should get on with it.**

**Ureshiitamago: True, here are the thankies!**

**We would like to thank: S3rp3nte, BardockTheWolf789, RavenWhite'sFeatheredPen, Rinjiah, AFangirlLife, chibianimefan26, Muito, PuddyKatz, Chuu112, thepiippiip, koreanlover21873, Kirino Tsuki, and Scarlet Clown for following/favoriting this fic!**

**A special thanks to AFangirlLife, ADDBaby, Momochan77, chibianimefan26, Futago no Akuma Shimai, blackfox (guest), QuirkyKit, Varus the Shadow Sage, Cupcake (guest), PuddyKatz, and FlamingCatDemon13 for reviewing!**

**Here's answers to guest reviews:**

**Blackfox: hahaha! I know how you feel with younger brothers…luckily, mine amuses himself now, so I can avoid the dreaded 'please play with your brother'. Good luck.**

**Cupcake: Sorry, it would just get too complicated…just like my life…(sobs quietly)**

"OH NO, NAMI!" Luffy suddenly shouted, swinging so that the both of us were hanging upside down. "THE LIGHT'S GONE OUT!"

**Chapter 26: Ghostly Storm**

"This is bad!" Luffy carried on, gripping me tightly so I wouldn't fall (though I wouldn't anyway). "The guiding light is gone!"

"It's a lighthouse," Nami calmly responded over the wind, reading a map that was clutched in one hand. "The light goes off sometimes."

"Yeah!" I added, waving my hands in the air. "The light fairies need time off, otherwise it would be slavery!"

"Wow, Aave! You really know a lot!" Luffy praised, laughing. I laughed with him as Nami groaned and looked up at the sky as if praying.

"Just trust me," she finally said, apparently deciding that contradicting me would be too much work. "I know what to do."

"Hey, Nami's impressive too!" Luffy said, suddenly whipping around so that I was on his back and he was hanging off his special seat by his arms.

"What do you mean, 'too'?" Nami asked exasperatedly before eyeing our position wearily. "Now get down from there, you two."

"No way!" Luffy instantly replied, sticking out his tongue. "You're not getting my spot!"

"WHO SAID I WANTED IT?!" Nami yelled.

"You implied it," I pointed out, miming zipping my lips shut when Nami gave me a Devil-worthy glare. Pouting a little after way too much silence for my liking, I decided to sing.

**Singing in the Rain**

_Singing in the rain_

_Just singing in the rain_

_What a glorious feelin'_

_I'm happy again._

_I'm laughing at clouds,_

_So dark up above,_

_The sun's in my heart_

_And I'm ready for love_

_Let the stormy clouds chase_

_Everyone from the place_

_Come on with the rain_

_I've a smile on my face_

_I walk down the lane_

_With a happy refrain_

_Just singin',_

_Singin' in the rain!_

_Dancin' in the rain_

_Dee-ah dee-ah dee-ah_

_Dee-ah dee-ah dee-ah_

_I'm happy again!_

_I'm singin' and dancin' in the rain!_

_I'm dancin' and singin' in the rain…_

I belted it at the top of my ghost lungs, making Nami cringe from the awfulness that was a tone-deaf person singing. Luffy, one the other foot, was laughing and humming the song with me before Nami whacked him over the head.

"STOP IT YOU TWO!" She screeched, reaching a decibel I didn't even know existed until this very day. I winced and stopped singing. "The map is bothering me, and the singing definitely isn't helping!" She added in an almost scolding tone. I bent my head and pouted a little.

"What's wrong with the map?" Luffy asked almost-seriously, scooping me back up into his lap as he situated himself criss-cross on his special seat.

"Well…I think we better call a crew meeting." Nami admitted, heading towards the kitchen. I craned my neck to look Luffy in the eyes. He had a slight frown on his face, but the cheerfulness that I had come to expect from him was still there.

"You go find the others!" Luffy said with a wide grin. "I'm going to the kitchen!" I grinned back and floated off of his lap, flying off to see where the others were. After a little bit of searching, Merry informed me that Gwaine and Sanji were already in the kitchen (Gwaine wasn't allowed outside in weather this bad), Zoro was in the crow's nest, and Usopp was in the guy's bedroom. I thanked her with fervor and flew up to the crow's nest first, seeing as it was actually a little bit closer. When I arrived at the bottom of the crow's nest, I decided that I was going to fly through the bottom, not around like I usually did. Anything to throw off Zoro. I giggled silently. He was just sooooooo fun to prank!

"BOO!" I shouted as I flew through the bottom of the crow's nest. I was given the satisfaction of Zoro jolt a little and start to cuss me out when my head suddenly appeared right next to his feet. I grinned happily as I watched his face turn funny colors.

"Zoro, you look funny!" I laughed, lifting up an arm to point at his face. Zoro grimaced, coughed a little, and took deep breaths to calm himself down. I pouted at the unfairness when his face turned back to its normal color.

"What do you want, Aave?" He asked grumpily, crossing his arms and squinting through the rain. I pointed the finger that was still pointing at his face downwards.

"Nami wants us in the kitchens a week ago." I answered, laughing again when he was suddenly halfway down the mast.

"That better have not been a prank," Zoro threatened when I caught up with him at the bottom of the mast. I grinned and flipped over on my back, floating that way for a while.

"The week ago part was, but she really does want us in the kitchen pronto." I informed him. Zoro grudgingly nodded, and strode over to the stairs. I didn't bother watching him walk all the way up to the kitchen, instead opting to 'fall' through the floor into the boy's cabin.

"Usopp!" I called from above him, making him jump with fright. He collapsed onto his back and held his heart as he stared up at me, breathing hard.

"Don't _do_ that!" He wheezed, sitting up suddenly to make sure that all of the bottles set up in front of him didn't have cracks.

"Are you making more tabasco-stars?" I asked curiously, floating down to face level. Usopp confirmed my question with a nod, measuring out a teaspoon of tabasco sauce and carefully letting it drip drop by drop into one of his pellets. I hummed a little, and decided to wait until the delicate part was over to tell him about the meeting…naw.

"Nami wants us in the kitchen five minutes ago," I announced nonchalantly as he reached for some more tabasco sauce. Another jolt through him sent one of the (luckily sealed) bottles careening across the box-table and off of it to collide with the floor. It was a testimony to how much Nami frightened Usopp by how fast the long nosed boy shoved everything away and jumped for the hatch. In a blink, he was outside and heading for the kitchens. I shook my head as I too headed towards the hatch. He had, in his haste, forgotten to shut it.

"The entrance to the Grand Line is up a mountain!" Nami announced as soon as I flew through the wall. She slapped the map on the table dramatically, as if there was one of us who could read it. I squinted at said map. In no way did any of those squiggles look like a mountain. Nope.

"A MOUNTAIN?!" Usopp shouted in disbelief, mouth comically wide, his head tipped almost alarmingly to the side. I decided to one-up him.

"NO WAY!" I exclaimed loudly, my head falling off of my shoulders and bouncing on the ground. I watched my own body pick up my head and then place me back on my shoulders the wrong way around. I huffed, and turned my head around again. Nami and Usopp were staring at me with wide eyes while Luffy, Sanji, and Zoro just laughed. I felt my stomach sink a little at Nami and Usopp's expressions.

"Y-yeah…" Nami stuttered with a nod. "When I first looked at the chart, I didn't believe it!" As she started talking, her eyes went back to the paper, and her stutter left. I felt a little relieved by that, and resolved to acclimate both of them to the world of impossibilities offered up by ghosts.

"Look here." Nami pointed to a random squiggle on the map.

"It's a squiggle," I noted aloud, nodding to myself. Luffy nodded with me.

"A squiggle." He echoed. Both of us jumped when Nami's hand slammed down on the table, and a menacing aura arose around her.

"Those who do not read maps, kindly keep your mouths shut, or I will shut them for you…_permanently!_" She growled. I gulped and sank into the floor in order to fly up into the middle of the table so I could see the squiggle better.

"The guiding light was definitely pointing toward Reverse Mountain on the Red Line," she explained. I nodded like I understood what she was saying, but made sure to keep my mouth shut.

"We have to run into a mountain?" Zoro asked, leaning forward a little to see over my head. I obligingly sunk so that only my eyes were above the table, and I heard him relax back down.

"No," Nami said, tapping the squiggle. "There's a canal here."

"A canal?" Usopp scoffed. "Don't be ridiculous! Canal or no canal, a ship can't sail up a mountain!"

"It can if you're riding a rig of bamboo!" I announced from partially under the table, turning to look at Usopp.

"What?" He questioned, looking nonplussed. I grinned, though he couldn't see it.

"Well, you know, the Princess Pat who lived in a tree sailed the ocean blue in a rig of bamboo," I informed him, "there's a whole song to it, but I don't think you want me to sing right now." I added, looking over at Nami, who nodded vigorously in conformation.

"Well, we have to go up the canal," Nami said with a shrug. "Rig of bamboo or no, that's what the map says." I nodded seriously. Hey, I can be serious sometimes. 422, remember?

"Listen, you guys." Sanji said, and I could tell he was mainly talking to the actual guys in the crew. "Nami's always right when it comes to charts and navigation."

"But you stole that map from Buggy," Zoro pointed out. "Can we trust it?" Good point. Clown man looked like the type of person who would plant a fake map to confuse and possibly kill thieves.

"We're climbing a mountain in a ship?" Luffy asked with a big grin on his face. "Yippee!" I giggled at his enthusiasm and joined him in his fist pumping. "**Must be a mystery mountain!**" He added, making me laugh even harder.

"A mystery canal!" I piped up, ignoring an exasperated sigh from Nami.

"Why do we have to go through an entrance, anyway?" Zoro questioned, "Can't we just sail south and go in from anywhere?"

"NO WAY!" Luffy and I screamed, pointing at Zoro accusingly.

"They're right," Nami added, "there's a good reason for it." I puffed up triumphantly, though because I was still under the table, no one could see it.

"IT'D FEEL WRONG IF WE DIDN'T GO THROUGH THE ENTRANCE!" Luffy shouted, causing Nami to punch him, though it didn't do any damage.

"That's not it!" She said as she punched him. I hummed in thought.

"Is it because we'll meet an untimely death if we don't follow the rout predestined by cruel, cruel fate?" I asked with a grin. Nami and Luffy blinked at me.

"Uuumm…sorta kinda?" Nami hedged, apparently not wanting to admit that I was right.

"Hey!" I heard Usopp exclaim. I turned around in the table to see him staring out the window. "How weird. The storm's gone all of a sudden."

"Yeah, it's calm." Sanji agreed. Calm…hmm…my brother told me a story about Calm something or other. What was it, exactly?

"What?" Nami shot, "that's impossible. We're supposed to ride the storm right up to the entrance!" She sounded disbelieving, but I didn't really take note of it, still hung up on trying to remember that story that my brother told me. Calm something, and it held Sea something. Wow, this was bothering me. I absently followed the others outside, completely not paying attention to what they were saying.

"Ah, the weather's beautiful!" Sanji exclaimed.

"What's going on?" Usopp wondered. Luffy just shrugged and laughed.

"Calm…breath? No…bark? Noo…belfry? Noooo…belt!" I slapped my hands together happily when I finally figured it out.

"That's right! He was telling me about the Calm Belt!" I laughed, dancing in the air.

"This is not a good thing…" Nami murmured. "We're _in_ the Calm Belt…" I hummed thoughtfully.

"Doesn't the Calm Belt host Sea Kings?" I asked, finally remembering what my brother had told me about. Nami winced, nodding.

"The storm's still raging over there," Zoro reported, facing the opposite direction from where everyone was looking. "but there's not even a breeze here."

"CUT THE SMALL TALK!" Nami suddenly shouted, sending me careening through the air from the force of her shout. "LOWER THE SAILS AND START ROWING! WE'VE GOT TO GET BACK TO THAT STORM!" Sanji immediately started following her orders.

"Why are you so worked up?" Luffy asked. "'Row'? don't you know this is a sail ship?"

"Why do we have to get back to the storm?" Usopp asked, apparently thoroughly displeased by the fact that we had to actually return to the storm.

"Yeah, why?" I asked, crossing my arms. "I want to me-"

"JUST DO WHAT I TELL YOU!" Nami screamed, shark teeth appearing.

"But the weather's great." Zoro informed her, staring up at the clouds.

"Fine! I'll explain it to you! This ship is drifting south, just like you said a moment ago!" Nami growled, pointing at Zoro. I watched the exchange with amusement, creating ghost popcorn to munch on while I sat criss-cross in the air.

"So does that mean we've entered the Grand Line?" Zoro questioned, turning to look up at the sails, which weren't catching any wind.

"If it were that simple, anyone could do it!" Nami shouted, her teeth turning back into shark teeth. She then returned back to normal, and started to talk science-y. "The Grand Line is sandwiched between two other seas." She informed us. "They're the Calm Belts, where no winds blow!"

"Calm, huh?" Zoro said with a grin. I got the feeling he was enjoying antagonizing her. I took a slurp of slushie. "So there's no wind. So what?"

"So, this ocean is-" Nami broke off when the very sea started to shake. So this is what my brother meant…I ate some more popcorn.

"HEY! WHAT WAS THAT? AN EARTHQUAKE?!" Luffy shouted, wobbling to and fro on the unstable deck.

"WE'RE AT SEA, YOU FOOL!" Usopp shouted back.

"Well, actually, earthquakes can cause Tsunami's, so it could be an earthquake," I said absently, throwing the empty popcorn container and slushie over my shoulder where they disappeared. I squawked when suddenly the deck was rushing towards, then through me. Quickly, I started to ascend with the ship so I wouldn't be left behind.

"Wow! That was really fast!" I laughed as I entered the open air again. "I was almost left behind down there!" When I glimpsed the crew's faces though, my smile turned into a frown, and I looked over my shoulder. What were they so scared abo-…well okay. _That_ was an extremely good reason to be scared. I looked back around, and Nami had sunk to the ground, clutching the mast like her life depended on it, and maybe it did.

In front of us…well, below us, really, was a whole _pod_ of Sea Kings of every size. And we were perched on the nose of the biggest one.

"**It's a nest…of Sea Kings!**" Nami sobbed from her spot on the deck. Yup, just like Ihmisen said. I felt numb, staring at the gigantic…_things_...that were surrounding us, but not noticing us. It made me feel small and weak. Usopp was out for the count, and Luffy, Zoro, and Sanji were sweating like mad. In a rush, the three of them picked up three oars, and readied them.

"Now, listen!" Zoro hissed through clenched teeth. "When these guys go under again, we row like mad!"

"G-got it!" Luffy and Sanji answered in unison. All of the other Sea King's went under except for ours, which was making weird noises.

"It sounds like it needs to sneeze," I said shakily, floating up behind the three. They looked at me strangely before the Sea King's head reared back a little bit, and then shot forward, letting out a sneeze.

"TOLD YOU!" I shouted as the Merry shot through the air, and I grabbed Luffy so that I wouldn't fly away. There was a long scream as we flew through the air, and Usopp started to fall out of the boat, right where a curious looking giant frog was opening his mouth.

"AAH! A GIANT FROG!" Sanji yelled.

"USOPP!" Luffy shouted, letting go with one hand to stretch it to grab Usopp before the frog's maw could close.

"THAT WAS A CLOSE ONE!" I screamed as we crashed into the sea that was churning under clouds that were pelting us with water.

**Here's the birthday one shot! XD**

"There's something fishy going on here…" Aave muttered as she looked around the room which she had appeared in not long ago. Seeing a bookcase, she flew over to it, passing through what looked like a weird, really tall desk to get to it. There was an abundance of strange books lined up in nice rows, each with a differently drawn face on the spine.

"Why are there so many books?" She questioned, a sweatdrop running down her head. "It's like Nami's room in here."

"True," a strange voice agreed from behind Aave, who jumped and spun around, taking her finger off of one of the books as if she'd been burned. Behind her stood the tallest girl she had ever seen, almost as tall as Zoro, maybe an inch or two shorter. She wore an oatmeal colored sweater and jeans, along with large glasses. Her hair was short and brown, and she didn't look too happy.

"Just because I'm not smiling doesn't mean I'm not happy," the girl pointed out with a grin, sitting down in a leather chair that was close to the ground. "I'm ureshiitamago. And you are…" she trailed off, eyeing Aave expectantly.

"Aave," Aave responded after a moment. "My name's Aave." Aave had been expecting many things in response to her name, but laughter wasn't one of them.

"I bet this is a dream," the girl said, looking around the room thoughtfully. "There is no way you are physically here right now." While Aave was confused about that, she couldn't say no to pointing out her ghostliness.

"Well, I can't be physically here even if I was," Aave said with an impish grin, folding her arms. "I'm a ghost, so I'm not physically _anywhere_!" There was a moment of silence before ureshiitamago snorted and let her face fall into her hands.

"I just _had_ to make a character that makes jokes similar to Brooke's…" she mumbled. Aave cocked her head to the side in confusion.

"Brooke?" She asked. "Character _you _made?" One of ureshiitamago's hands peeled away from holding up her head long enough to wave it dismissively.

"Nothing you need to worry about just yet, forget about it," was the answer. Aave frowned, and locked her hands behind her back, kicking the air idly.

"Sooo, how do I get back?" she asked tentatively. Ureshiitamago had the grace to look up at that, her glasses askew from her long face-palm. She actually looked like she was thinking about that question instead of outright dismissing it.

"Well," she said ponderously, "I guess I have to write it, don't I?" She finished with a grin. Aave watched slightly wearily as ureshiitamago stood up and took two steps over to the table that Aave was hovering in. She grabbed up what looked like a silver tablet thing and took two steps back to the chair she had been sitting in.

"Write it?" Aave asked, flying over to the chair herself and peering over ureshiitamago's shoulder. The girl pried the tablet thing open, and then touched the side of the bottom portion. Aave gasped as the top part suddenly lit up, and ureshiitamago randomly pressed different things on the bottom portion.

"Yes, write. I'm the writer of your story," there was a slight pause. "Well, I don't _own_ your story, because that would be against the law. I do own _you_, though…" ureshiitamago trailed off as she started pressing the different things again.

"Man, this is such a real dream…" ureshiitamago huffed, and Aave squinted at the bright light coming from the top portion.

"What is this?" she asked, pointing at the tablet thing.

"A laptop. Something that I can write in without using paper."

"Nami would like that."

"Yes, she would." Aave decided not to ask how ureshiitamago seemed to know that Nami would like this laptop thing, and instead decided to ask more questions about the writing thing.

"I know about writing, obviously, but what do you mean you _own_ me?" Aave asked, frowning at the word. There was a pause in the pressing of what looked (upon further inspection) like letters.

"I made you up in my head, you're a fictional character." Ureshiitamago answered after a bit, going back to making that clacking noise. Aave held up a hand and examined it.

"I don't _feel_ like a fictional character though?" she said, flipping her hand over to examine her palm. Ureshiitamago snorted again, but didn't answer.

"Nami said that snorting isn't very ladylike." Aave announced after a bit. _Anything_ to stop the clacking noise. Success! Ureshiitamago paused in her writing!

"Well, Nami hasn't met me, has she?" ureshiitamago laughed. "I'm not very ladylike. I slouch, eat a lot, complain about hot and cold, and snort a lot." The girl then shook her head, and the clacking sound started back up. Aave sighed and adjusted her hat.

"Who's Brooke?" Aave asked, remembering the name that ureshiitamago had mentioned earlier.

"No one you need to bother yourself with just yet…and, done!" she flipped the silver lap-top closed and placed it back on the desk. "You should feel a slight pulling sensation anytime now." The girl added.

"Is ureshiitamago really your name?" Aave asked, frowning. "You don't look like a happy egg…" that startled a laugh out of ureshiitamago, who shook her head.

"No, it's what's called a screen name. My real name is-" Aave didn't hear the rest as a multi-colored void opened up around her, and swallowed her.

As Aave floated in the void, she spied a big blue box.

"What's that?" She asked herself, angling her body in its direction and pretending to swim. When she reached it, she saw that it was a blue box with a door. "Police telephone, free for use of public, advice and assistance attainable immediately, officer and cars respond to all calls, **pull to open**." Aave read aloud. Blinking at the sign, she looked over at the handle on the door.

"Eh," Aave shrugged, pulling on the handle. "Why not?" The door swung open, and she peered inside. There was a glowy green thing in the middle of what looked to be a room waaay too big for the box that it was in. Quietly shutting the door behind her, Aave looked around for signs of life.

"Hello?" She called, cupping her hands around her mouth. _He's on his way_, a voice said in Aave's head. "Thank you," Aave said aloud, hoping that the helpful voice would hear.

"Who's there?" Someone called from Aave's right. She spun to face it, and saw a man standing in the doorway. He had weird brown hair, glasses, a long trench coat over a pinstripe suit, and red shoes. He seemed to be surprised to see Aave floating there.

"Who're you then?" He asked. "And how'd you get in here?" Aave blinked a little before answering.

"I'm Aave, and I pulled the door open." Aave answered simply, crossing her arms. "Your sign said that you would help?" She added as the man stared at her.

"Wha-well…yes, I can…maybe…yeah…" the man mumbled as he trotted down metal stairs to the glowy green thing in the center of the room. "Where and when do you come from?"

"Well, we're currently in the East Blue right now, aboard the ship 'Going Merry', and it's 22 years into the Great Pirate Era." Aave said promptly. The man stiffened suddenly.

"A different reality?" He asked hesitantly. Aave thought for a moment.

"Ureshiitamago said that it was more like a different world, fictional or something like that?" Aave answered with another shrug. The man seemed to decide to take a page out of her book, and shrugged as well, fiddling with something. There was a jolt, and Aave screeched as she was thrown across the room. The man had also fallen, and was holding onto the railing of one of the stairs with a grin on his face.

"What was that?" Aave gasped as the jolting of the room stopped. The man leapt up with a laugh.

"Well, hopefully we've arrived on the Going Merry, when and where you've left off!" he answered with a grin. Aave floated over to the door and pushed it open cautiously. There was the storm, and the crew calling for her frantically.

"Yep! Thank you, mystery man!" Aave said, hugging him delightedly. The man's smile was soft as he patted her head.

"You're welcome, Aave. And my name's the Doctor. Give me a shout if you need my help again!" Aave nodded and started flying through the door.

"Oh, and Aave?" She looked around at him, halfway out already. The Doctor smiled. "Happy Birthday!" The blue box disappeared.

**Happy birthday Ghostly Crewmate! XD So much happy that it deserves an abundance of these!**


	27. Chapter 27

**Ureshiitamago: Heeey! I'm back! And it's only been about a week this time!**

**Aave: Thank the gods. What was it this time?**

**Ureshiitamago: Actually, I got caught up in doing homework (bleh, of course) as well as drooling over the writing style of another One Piece fanfic author. His work is ****_amazing_****! If you guys want to go check it out, his pen name is Xomniac, and the fanfic I'm talking about is This Bites! I swear, he's like a professional author. The punctuation and word choice are on point!**

**Aave: -sweatdrops- soo, after you're done fangirling…**

**Ureshiitamago: Ah yes, thankies. Here we go!**

**We would like to thank; KeybladeGuardian96, Apikins, Rogers-comics, Roalf, Kelrisathefiredemonness, , GalliumStoat, PirateDragons121, Waltzing Shadow, Nabula'sPhoenix, klmkl11233, Darkdarling98, and 1-800-spikeit for following/favoriting this fic!**

**A special thanks to 14fox, Cupcake, Varus the Shadow Sage, ADDBaby, AFangirlLife, Momochan77, PuddyKatz, FlamingCatDemon13, kiroroblue, and Guestspirit for reviewing!**

**Aave: Heeereee's the chapter!**

_"__USOPP!" Luffy shouted, letting go with one hand to stretch it to grab Usopp before the frog's maw could close. _

_ "__THAT WAS A CLOSE ONE!" I screamed as we crashed into the sea that was churning under clouds that were pelting us with water. _

**Chapter 27: We're Having a Ghostly Whale of a Time**

"HECK YEAH, IT WAS A CLOSE ONE!" Usopp shouted before collapsing onto the deck along with the rest of the crew. I sat criss cross in the air and tilted my head at them.

"Thank goodness it's just a typhoon we have to deal with…" wheezed Luffy from his spot on the deck.

"Now do you see why we have to use the entrance?" Nami asked rhetorically, somehow managing to sound sarcastic even in the aftermath of an adrenaline rush.

"**Yeah, I get it**.." Zoro muttered, plopping his head onto his knees.

"Looking back on it, that was kind of fun!" I said with a grin. The situation we were in was certainly frightening, but there was something humorous about being _sneezed_ out of the Calm Belt.

"HOW THE HECK IS IT FUN?!" Nami screamed, lifting up her head to glare at me. I grinned back.

"Aw, c'mon. Think about it," I cajoled. "We were _sneezed_ out of the Calm Belt. _Sneezed_! Doesn't anyone find that funny?" There was a minute or two where Nami just scowled at me while the others thought it over (or so I hoped).

"Heh," Zoro laughed a little bit, "I guess it was…just a little." I clapped my hands happily, and looked at Nami victoriously. She just rolled her eyes and sat up, still scowling.

"There's still the problem of getting up the mountain though." Usopp muttered, eyes closed, still recovering from his near-death-by-frog experience.

"I…think I understand…" Nami said slowly.

"Understand what?" I asked, flipping upside down. Nami raised an eyebrow at my new position, but didn't comment, only going on to explain her thoughts.

"We really _do_ have to sail up the mountain." There was a collective cry of 'impossible!' from the rest of us (I and Luffy were admittedly more gung ho about it than the others, pumping our fists in the air with shouts of excitement).

"The sea currents!" Nami started to explain as we crowded around her. "If powerful currents from all four seas converged at that mountain, the waters would rush up the sides through the canals, collide at the top, and flow out into the Grand Line!" I made a noise of understanding, though I didn't really understand it. "This ship is already riding the current, so all we have to do is steer."

"How does that stop _all_ the water from going up the mountain?" I asked. "Wouldn't that empty all the four seas into the Grand Line?"

"No, because Reverse Mountain is a winter island, when the sea currents collide with it, the upper waters are forced back under." Nami explained to me patiently. "Unfortunately, this means that if a ship misses the Canal, it breaks up and is swallowed by the sea. Get it?" I decided to nod, even though only about half of that made sense. It sounded like a-

"Aha!" Luffy exclaimed. "In other words, it's a mystery mountain!" Yup, that sounds about right. I nodded in agreement.

"I guess I shouldn't have expected any more from you two," Nami said with a defeated sigh.

"Nami! You're wonderfuull!" Sanji shouted, hearts erupting from his head.

"I've never heard of anyone sailing over a mountain before." Zoro said.

"I think I have." Sanji replied.

"About a mystery mountain?"

"No, about the Grand Line." Sanji paused dramatically before going on. "**I heard you've got to be half-dead before you enter it**." He said in a creepy voice. "**I knew it wouldn't be easy**."

"Well then, it'll be fine for me!" I said cheerfully, doing somersaults in the air. "I'm _already_ dead! None of this _half-dead_ stuff!" Sanji coughed a little in a measly attempt to hide a laugh, and went to say something before he was interrupted by Luffy.

"THERE'S THE MYSTERY MOUNTAIN!" He shouted, gripping the railing tightly. I flew over to see for myself, and gaped at the monstrosity that lay before us. It was the biggest mountain I had ever seen! Well, not that I'd seen any mountains before anyway, but still! It was huuuuuuuge!

"THAT'S THE RED LINE!" Nami shouted over the dull roar of the water. "THE SUMMIT IS LOST IN THE CLOUDS!" There was a moment of awe where the six of us stood gaping up at the tallest thing we'd seen before there was a sudden rush of action.

"WE'RE BEING SUCKED IN!" Luffy shouted, a big grin on his face, "STEER CAREFULLY!"

"LEAVE IT TO US!" Sanji and Usopp shouted, racing to the kitchen to man the steering stick. I, Luffy, Nami, and Zoro stayed at the front to watch the oncoming Canal. When it was finally close enough to see through the sheets of rain, there was a simultaneous gasp.

"I don't believe it," Zoro said, looking at the Canal through some binoculars. "It's true! The ocean is rushing up the mountain!"

"YEAH!" I shouted, pumping my fists in the air in excitement. Giddiness was coursing through me, making me slightly jumpy and shaky. This was a milestone in my extra-long life. Out with the old, in with the new, as they say.

"WE'RE A LITTLE OFF! MORE TO THE RIGHT! RIGHT!" Luffy shouted, and I snapped out of my reverie long enough to gape in disbelief at the unmistakable sound of wood snapping in half behind me as we continued to rush unhindered to the wall of the mountain.

"**WE'RE GONNA CRASH!**" Everyone shouted as we stared at the mountain that was looming closer at a surprisingly fast rate. Suddenly, Luffy tossed his hat to Zoro, and leapt off the boat.

"Gomu gomu no…BALLOON!" Luffy inflated and fell in between the Merry and the wall, pushing us back on track through the canal.

"WE'RE SAVED!" Nami shouted in relief.

"LUFFY, GRAB HOLD!" Zoro shouted. I floated anxiously around Zoro's head as Luffy's hand stretched out to grab hold of Zoro's hand. I only stopped my anxious floating when Luffy had collided into Zoro, safely back on the ship.

"WE'RE IN!" We all shouted in glee as we soared up the mountain. I laughed in excitement and joy as the ship rushed up, grinning widely to the point where if I had been living, my cheeks would have cracked open.

"I'VE NEVER SAILED UP A MOUNTAIN BEFORE! THIS IS SOOOOO COOOOOOOL!" I screamed, latching onto the mast just under where Usopp was clinging. I let out a loud and free laugh, reveling in the long awaited feeling of going where I and my friends had only _dreamed_ of. When we reached the top of the mountain, well above the clouds, the Merry literally jumped up, and the spray from the water froze beautifully in mid-air.

"NOW WE JUST SLIDE DOWN!" yelled Nami as we hit the water again, but this time in the only canal that was letting the water flow downwards. I flew into the crow's nest to get the best seat in the house. Clinging onto the boards, I felt like my non-existent heart was going to leap into my throat from too much happy as I beheld before me a beautiful expanse of water, dotted here and there by tiny little specks way in the distance.

"I SEE IT!" Luffy yelled, sitting on his special seat. "THE GRAND LINE!"

"This is the world's greatest ocean…" I whispered to myself, unaware that my captain was saying the same thing down below.

"Did you say something?" Sanji asked me, sounding a little giddy himself from his perch on the top of the sail. I shook my head, grin still splitting my face in two.

"No! It was nothing!" I said with a cheery laugh. "This is so exciting!" Sanji nodded in agreement.

"LET'S GO!" Luffy shouted.

"**BWAAAH!**" A voice shouted back in the distance. I blinked, and peered ahead as we plunged back into the clouds.

"Is it just me, or did that sound like an out of tune trombone?" I asked rhetorically, smile disappearing as the noise came again in the distance. Down below, Zoro also commented on the noise.

"What was that?" he asked stoically, crossing his arms. "Did you hear something?"

"I HEARD IT TOO!" I shouted over the roar of the water and wind. One would have been easy to hear over by itself, but put them together, and they positively KO'd anyone trying to talk to one another.

"WHO CARES?" Luffy shouted, lost in the moment. "LET'S GO!"

"Maybe it's the wind," Nami said flippantly. "There are probably lots of unusual rock formations around here."

"I DON'T THINK IT'S ROCKS SINGING!" I shouted again, frowning at the notion. Rocks didn't _sing_. Rocks did opera. There was a difference. "AND IT DOESN'T SOUND LIKE AN OPERA! PLUS, THERE'S A REEEAAALLY BIG SHADOW UP AHEAD!"

"**BWAAAAH!**" The voice shouted again, only this time, it was more like screaming. Whatever it was, we were heading straight for it.

"A shadow?" Nami called up at me.

"I see it too!" Usopp informed her, twisting one of his weird binocular thingies in order to see it better.

"Yeah! Me too! It looks like a mountain!" Sanji added.

"A mountain?" Nami questioned, starting to look worried. "That's not right. It should be open sea once we pass the twin capes!"

"IT'S THE GRAND LINE!" I informed her. "MOUNTAINS ARE MADE OUT OF POOP!"

"YOU BE QUIET!" Nami shouted, her shark teeth forming. I stuck my tongue out at her but complied, flopping back into the crow's nest and pouting. They really _were_ made out of poop! Well…_some_ of them at least…

"**_BWAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!_**" The voice screamed again, and this time it was so loud that I shot up and stared at what seemed to be a mountain trying to do its own version of the opera. It wasn't very good.

"YOU STINK AT SINGING, MOUNTAIN!" I shouted at it.

"IT'S A WHALE!" Nami shouted back at me. I paused for a moment.

"YOU STINK AT SINGING, WHALE!" I corrected myself.

"YOU DO TOO!" Nami shouted back.

"WE'RE GONNA CRASH!" I pointed out, hopping up and down in the crow's nest.

"SHOULD WE FIGHT IT?" Luffy suggested.

"ARE YOU NUTS?!" Nami screamed, grabbing Luffy by the collar and shaking him. "WE CAN'T FIGHT A MONSTER LIKE THAT!"

"BUT IT'S BLOCKING OUR WAY!" Luffy protested.

"LUFFY HAS A POINT!" I shouted down at them.

"Up close like this, it's a wall!" Sanji growled out as he hung from the top of the sail on my right. "Where are the eyes?"

"In its head, duh." I scoffed, gesturing at the head that was looming ahead of us, reminding me of the Red Line, just not as tall. Sanji sweatdropped.

"Oh!" Nami suddenly gasped. "Then it may not be aware of us yet!"

"BUT WE'RE HEADED RIGHT FOR IT!" Zoro shouted, looking panicked. "THERE'S AN OPENING ON THE LEFT! HARD TO PORT!" I stared at the small opening between beast and wall. A death death situation. Huh.

"THE WHIPSTAFF'S BROKEN!" Usopp shouted, jumping down from the mast.

"DO SOMETHING!" Zoro shouted, jumping over the railing and running to the kitchen. "I'LL HELP YOU!"

"**HEY! I'VE GOT AN IDEA!**" Luffy shouted, jumping over the railing himself and heading into the kitchen. Sanji jumped down from his spot on the sails to go help Zoro and Usopp.

"HARD TO PORT! HARD TO PORT!" Nami continued to scream. I decided to go and join Luffy, wherever he was. _Cannon_. The Merry told me.

"Thank you," I said as I flew through the deck and into the cargo hold where the cannon was set up. Luffy was already arming it.

"Here, I'll help." I said, adding a bit of boost to the cannon as Luffy frantically pushed the cannonball into it.

"Thanks!" He said, pointing to the ignition. I lit my finger on fire and touched it to the rope until it caught. When the ignition finally ran out, there was an almighty _BOOM_! Spirals appeared in place of my eyes and for a moment, I couldn't tell which way was up.

"Luffy….all the pretty birdies and stars….they're mockin' me…" I slurred, watching the little blue birds fly circles around my head. I heard Luffy snort, and then he grabbed me out of the air, shifting me so that he was carrying me on his hip.

"Well?" Luffy asked as he walked out of the hold. "Has the ship sto-" he cut himself off as I heard a thud.

"MY SPECIAL SEAT!" He shouted, and I grimaced at the noise, although it helped to ground me. I looked over to see the figurehead lying innocently on the deck, cut off from the rest of the ship. Luffy seemed to be in shock, as he just kind of stood there, still holding me, a look of pure disbelief and another emotion that I couldn't place on his face.

"LET'S GET OUT OF HERE WHILE WE STILL CAN!" Zoro shouted, rushing for the oars.

"WHAT THE HECK!? IT DIDN'T EVEN NOTICE THE CANNON!?" Sanji shouted as he too, rushed for the oars. "OR IS IT JUST SLOW?"

"Who knows!?" Usopp yelled, grabbing onto the same oar that Sanji had, and all three of them started to row. "Now's our chance!" We were slowly moving towards the small space between death and death when Luffy finally seemed to get over his shock, and started to move.

"**_BWAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!_**" The whale screamed again, the noise so loud that it felt like someone dropped an anvil onto my head, and then decided that an earthquake would be a good touch.

"OW! MY EARS!" Sanji shouted, grimacing in pain.

"ROW, JUST ROW!" Zoro shouted back. "LET'S GET AWAY FROM IT!" Luffy, meanwhile, had walked up the stairs to the bow of the ship, and had set me down by Nami.

"**Listen you! That was my special seat!**" Luffy announced, stabbing a finger in the whale's direction. "**WHAT DID YOU DO TO IT!?**" winding up, his fist shot forward to collide with the whale's eye. I flinched. That must have hurt.

"YOU IDIOT!" The rest of the crew shouted, crying. There was a moment of silence where we wondered whether the whale had felt anything or not. Right as we were just under the middle part of the eye, the whale's eye suddenly swiveled down to look at us.

"C'MON, DARN YOU!" Luffy goaded it, ready to fight in revenge for the death of his special seat. The Merry laughed. I suddenly realized that the broken figurehead was the reason why I was feeling so out of it. _Need to get that fixed…_I thought, rubbing my head and staring blankly at the whale. I barely noticed Luffy getting punished by Zoro and Usopp, opting instead to wonder about the sadness and hurt that was coming off of the mammal in waves. Suddenly, the whale opened its mouth, and we were greeted with the wonderful view of sharp teeth surrounding us on any side. I snapped out of it when Luffy suddenly was tossed off of the ship. Acting quickly, I zoomed after him, managing to grab his foot before he went under.

Not that it helped any. All I was able to do was slow our descent.

"AGH! WE'RE GOING TO FALL IN!" Luffy shouted, staring at the water that was rushing closer to us far too fast for my liking.

"WELL THEN _DO_ SOMETHING!" I shouted back, straining upwards with all of my strength. I pouted. Why was it that I was able to fly with him on most occasions, but when I really needed that strength, it was suddenly gone? I surmised that the hit to the Merry took some of my strength, and continued to pull upwards.

"I WON'T LET US DIE!" Luffy shouted, grabbing onto the side of the mouth and pulling us to it.

"ALREADY DEAD, BUT THANKS ANYWAY!" I screamed, grabbing onto his leg as he propelled us to the top of the whale's head. I lay down next to Luffy as he caught his breath.

"That thing…you offered to do…that was good." I said bashfully, referring to the 'not letting us die' comment. Luffy grinned at me.

"That's what Nakama do!" He said, then horror took over his face. "What do we do?" He asked, even his voice full of doom. "They got all eaten up!" I blinked and concentrated on their life-auras as Luffy started hitting the top of the whale's head, shouting at it to give our Nakama back. As the whale started to sink, I finally latched onto them.

"They're alive!" I announced as Luffy started stamping on the whale's head. He didn't listen.

"JUST A DARN MINUTE!" He was yelling. "GIVE ME BACK MY FRIENDS! WE'RE ALL GOING ON AN ADVENTURE! I NEED THEM!" My heart constricted. He sounded so angry and heartbroken right then.

"They're still alive!" I said again, and to my relief, he looked over at me with what looked like hope.

"Really?" He asked brightly, grinning. I nodded, grinning back.

"Yup! And I think I found our way in!" I indicated the trap-door that I had just noticed. Luffy was silent for a moment, staring at the door.

"Huh?" He sounded soooo confused. I giggled and started to open the door, as the whale was getting pretty close to diving. Luffy helped by prying the door open once I had it unlocked, picking me up and throwing me inside, and then leaping in himself. When he was safely inside, he quickly shut the door and screwed it closed.

"Whew!" He said, wiping his brow. "That was a close one!" I grinned at him.

"I'll say!" I agreed, looking around. We appeared to be in a corridor made out of metal. If we hadn't just been outside to see the whale we were going inside of, I wouldn't have believed that we were inside of one. But the smell might've been able to tip me off. I wrinkled my nose.

"What is this?" Luffy asked, looking around. "What's all this stuff doing inside of a whale?" He looked over at me expectantly. I shrugged.

"Just because I'm 422 years old doesn't mean that I know _everything_." I informed him.

"You knew about Calm Belt." He countered, starting to walk down the corridor. I floated after him.

"Yeah well, that's only because my brother told me about it. And even then, it was the bare minimum." I said flippantly, crossing my arms behind my head as I floated along, absently noting that the corridor was swaying slightly with the movements of the whale.

"I wonder if this is a boy whale or a girl whale." I wondered aloud, staring at the walls like they held all the answers.

"I am keeping my opinion out of that question." Luffy said firmly. I pouted at him.

"Aaw, but _that's_ no fun!" I whined, kicking the air in protest. "I want to knoooow!"

"And I don't, so there!" He said, grinning and sticking his tongue out at me. I gave an affronted gasp, and stuck my own tongue out at him. Pretty soon, we were trying to outdo each other's silly faces. I had just turned my nose into a pig's snout when the corridor suddenly jolted, sending Luffy bouncing down the corridor in the opposite direction from whence we came.

"LUFFY, WAIT FOR ME!" I shouted, shooting after him and trying not to accidently float into the walls. We did _not_ need a frozen whale in our hands. That was just asking for trouble.

"WHOA, I'M GETTING DIZZY!" Luffy shouted as he headed towards a wall. I hoped the wall would stop him. It certainly wouldn't hurt him, and I needed to catch up. Luffy spotted the wall too. "WHAT?!" He shouted. "A DEAD END?!" He slammed face first into the wall, and then fell downwards under the floor. Despite being completely confused, I plunged after him, and found myself in a canal type area, Luffy sitting criss cross below me on the platform.

"What now?" He muttered. "Is it a river? A sea? It looks like a canal."

"It doesn't _smell_ like one though," I commented, floating down next to him. Luffy looked over at me and grinned.

"Hey!" He said brightly. "You caught up!"

"No thanks to you!" I said, sticking my tongue out at him.

"Why you!" Luffy started to tickle me, and I shrieked and wriggled, trying to get out of his grasp, which tightened suddenly as the floor tilted.

"It's tilting!" I gasped, grabbing onto Luffy so that I wouldn't lose him again. Likewise, Luffy held onto me as we fell into the unknown.

"THERE HAS GOT TO BE A BETTER WAY TO DO THIIIS!" I shouted as we crashed into the floor for what seemed like the umpteenth time.

"I THINK I HAVE AN IDEA!" Luffy shouted, rolling so that his feet were underneath him. He then stood up, and I swung myself around so that I was clinging onto his back as he began to run.

"AAAAAAH! THAT WAS A BAD IDEA!" Luffy shouted as we saw a door start to get closer in the distance. "I CAN'T STOP! I CAN'T STOP! HELP!" I peered forward and saw two people in front of the closed doors. Oddly enough, they were both carrying bazookas.

"Bazookas?" I muttered to myself, clinging on tighter to Luffy as we crashed into them and the door, causing the door to fling open. The place we fell into…stank. And also…

"IS THAT THE SKY!?" I shrieked, letting go of Luffy with my legs but holding onto his shirt, directing us to slowly fall in the direction of a familiar ship, which was surprisingly intact.

"L-Luffy? Aave?" Zoro asked, looking at us strangely from the ship. Both of us grinned widely at him.

"Hey! Aave was right! You're okay!" Luffy said cheerily, waving at our Nakama. I set him down gently on the deck as the two others fell into the water with twin splashes.

"Who are those strangers, Luffy?" Usopp asked, pointing down at the two who were now flailing around in the water, gasping for breath.

"Should we save them?" I asked. "We don't even know them." I braided part of my hair as I said this, voice flat and uncaring.

"Meh, we might as well, kinda our fault they're in there in the first place." Luffy pointed out, shrugging and picking his nose with his pinky.

"I'll let the rope ladder down." Zoro said, ambling away to the box where said ladder was kept.

"Hey! The old man's getting away!" Usopp cried, pointing at a door where a flower type thing was disappearing.

"What's so special about an old man?" I asked curiously as Zoro threw the ladder over the side for the two strangers to climb up.

"He's going to kill the whale from the inside!" Nami explained, looking a little angry at the notion. I looked at the 'sky', which I had figured out by now was the inside of the whale's stomach.

"Why would he put so much work into something he's just going to kill?" I asked, "I for one, wouldn't paint my food's innards." There was a pause as Nami processed my reasoning.

"That's…a good point." She conceded, nodding and then looking around when the movement and sounds that the whale was making stopped. "The whale's calmed down," She noted.

"Well?" Sanji asked. "Who are these guys?" He pointed his cigarette at the two who were dripping stomach acid on the deck. One was a woman, and the other a man. The woman had long blue hair held back in a ponytail, and was wearing rather skimpy clothing, along with a ridiculous jacket. The man had blond hair, was wearing an equally ridiculous crown on his head, and was wearing a black suit with a frilly shirt underneath. The two whispered to each other nervously while we waited for them to answer. When they drew breath to say something, however, they were interrupted by a shout.

"AS LONG AS I LIVE, YOU'LL NEVER HARM LABOON!" We all looked over in the direction of the shout to see a flower man standing on a platform near the middle of the stomach.

"Who's the old man?" Luffy voiced for the two of us.

"He's back," Usopp said, but there was no explanation. Why no explanation? WHY? WHO WAS THIS FLOWER MAN, AND WHERE COULD I GET ONE OF THOSE HATS!? I was snapped out of my desire for a flower hat when the two strangers lifted up their bazookas, which had appeared out of nowhere, and fired at the wall of the stomach.

"THERE'S NOTHING TO STOP US FROM BLASTING A WHOLE RIGHT THROUGH HIS INTESTINES!" They shouted in unison. "YOU CAN'T STOP US FROM WHALING!"

"THERE ARE LAWS AGAINST IT!" I shouted back at them, pointing my finger at the cannonballs and turning them into two pots of petunias, which promptly fell into the stomach acid. I whipped around and glared at the two furiously.

"If you try that again, I will turn you two into _stuffed animals_. Pink ones." The two of them set their bazookas down and allowed themselves to be tied up. We then rowed ourselves to the small not-island that the old flower man was sitting on (since when did he get there?) and anchored next to it, throwing the two captives onto the island and climbing down to it ourselves. Well, in my case it was more like floating…

"Laboon is an island whale, a species that only exists in the West Blue," Crocus told us. Even his _name_ was a flower! "They're the biggest whales in the world." I looked at the stomach, and remembered when we had thought that the wha-ahem, excuse me, _Laboon_, was a mountain. I nodded. Yup, I could believe that.

"Those creeps are from a nearby village," Crocus went on, nodding at the two would be assassins. "They're after Laboon's whale meat. They could feed their whole village for two or three years on his flesh. But I won't let them do it! There's a reason he keeps pounding against the Red Line, and crying towards Reverse Mountain." I sensed a story coming, so I latched onto Luffy's back as he tried to climb up one of the palm trees. Finally settled, I listened to Crocus's story.

"One day, when I was a lighthouse keeper, a friendly bunch of pirates came down Reverse Mountain. And behind their ship came a little whale. It was Laboon. They'd been sailing the West Blue together. Their voyage was going to be fraught with danger, so they'd left Laboon behind. Or so they thought. Normally, Island Whales travel with their kind in pods, but for Laboon, those pirates were his kind. Their ship was damaged, so they stayed at the Twin Capes several months, and I got to be good friends with them. Then, on the day they left, their Captain asked me if I'd take care of Laboon for him for a couple of years. 'We're going to circumnavigate the world and return here.' Laboon understood, so we waited together." I blinked as he ended his story.

"I have a bad feeling." I said to Luffy as Nami asked Crocus a question. Luffy, who had climbed halfway up the tree at that point, slid back down a little bit.

"That was 50 years ago." Crocus said in answer to Nami's question. Luffy slipped down a little bit further, uncharacteristically quiet. "He still thinks his friends are coming back." Crocus left it there in a much hated cliff hanger and started to sail us to the exit. We went back on board the Merry, dragging the captives with us. Luffy immediately went over to his broken special seat and sat down on what was left of it. I decided to sit on the railing just above him, dangling my feet just to the right of his head. When Crocus opened up the door, it opened up into a long metal-lined waterway, which was really kind of pretty for being in the insides of a whale.

"This waterway is cool!" Luffy complimented. "And you built it inside the whale without getting killed. What made you do it? A whim?"

"A whim?" Crocus echoed. "Yes, a doctor's whim. I may not look it, but I'm a physician. I ran a clinic on the cape years ago. I even spent a few years as a ships doctor."

"When?" I asked curiously, tilting my head at him and playing with my watch. I noted that his eyes widened the slightest bit, but shrugged it off.

"About thirty or so years ago. Quite honestly I've lost track."

"I've done that too!" I said with a laugh. "I lost count for a few decades after I turned 300!" The both of us laughed together over the forgetfulness of age before Luffy seemed to remember that Crocus had been a doctor.

"Wait! A ship's doctor? Really!?" He grinned excitedly at Crocus. "Then be our ship's doctor!"

"Ridiculous." Crocus snorted as we came to the doorway leading outside. "I'm too old to look after a bunch of reckless young fools."

"Aave's 422, and _she's_ on our crew!" Luffy argued.

"_Aave_ is a ghost," I reminded Luffy. Crocus nodded.

"Exactly." He climbed off of his island onto a ladder and climbed up to open the doors for us.

"So you're a doctor and you live inside a whale!" Nami said, trying to bring the conversation away from the topic of ages.

"That's right. When they get this big, it's impossible to treat them from the outside." He started turning a lever. "I'm opening the doors." We all looked over where the large doors started to grate to either side. When the doors were far enough apart, our ship sailed itself out.

"WOW!" Luffy shouted, pumping his fists into the air. "WE'RE OUTSIDE! A REAL SKY!"

"What'll we do with these two?" Nami asked.

"Throw them overboard," I supplied frostily, glaring at them with a lot of malice. We were nice enough to at least take off their bonds before forcibly throwing them overboard with a lot of protesting on their part.

"Who are you guys, anyway?" Luffy asked them once again.

"SHUT UP! MIND YOUR OWN BUSINESS!" The bluenette shouted.

"Wait, Ms. Wednesday. Don't forget that our business is pirates." The blondie said.

"That's right, Mr. Nine. The organization will be very interested in them." The bluenette – now Ms. Wednesday – said. "Just you wait!"

"We'll meet again, hillbilly pirates!" Mr. Nine shouted as they swam away very fast, "And Crocus! One day we'll get that whale!" I shook my head in disgust and flew over to Luffy as he picked something up.

"What's this?" He asked.

"They must have dropped it," I answered. "Looks like the compass my brother would wear. Keep it, it could be important." Luffy nodded and tucked it away into his pant's pocket. Luffy and I decided to play patty-cake as we tethered up at the lighthouse. Once we were properly tethered to land, we took the game onto shore, though Luffy looked thoughtful when Zoro started talking, so I just sat in his lap as he leaned back against a rock.

"So he's been waiting 50 years, and he still believes they're coming back for him." The swordsman noted.

"Those pirates have kept him waiting a long time," Luffy said thoughtfully, taking off my hat to braid my hair.

"Hmph." Sanji harrumphed. "This is the Grand Line." He breathed out a long breath of smoke, a look of slight disgust on his face. "Those guys said they'd be back in a couple of years. It's been 50 years now. There's your answer." He took a drag of his cigarette before breathing it out as he talked. "**They're dead. He'll be waiting for them until the end of time.**" Luffy held his hand in front of my face, and I made a rubber band for him. The hand withdrew and there was a snapping sound from behind me as he finished the braid.

"How can you be so cynical!?" Usopp demanded Sanji, standing up and whacking the table with his fist. "You don't know that! They could still return! It's the heartbreaking story of a whale who never lost faith in his friends!"

"**I'm afraid reality is even crueler than fiction.**" Crocus gloomily said, staring up at Laboon, who was in the same position he was in when we had almost crashed into him. "Those pirates fled the Grand Line. I have it from a reliable source." Luffy slipped my braid over my shoulder and plopped my hat into my lap. I played with it as I listened to Crocus, saddened that there were people who would break a promise to an animal.

"And they abandoned the poor whale?" Nami asked incredulously. "I can't believe it! But to flee the Grand Line, they'd have to cross the Calm Belt!" I thought back on those Sea Kings who had been even bigger than Laboon was. They were dead.

"Not everything is as it seems," a familiar whisper said in my ear. Drifter? His presence faded before I could look around, but I had no doubt that he would be back. Maybe I should start my own journal of his visits.

"Precisely." Crocus said darkly. "That's why their fate in uncertain. But even if they are alive, they can never return here. The season, the climate, the ocean currents, even the air currents…everything about this place is unpredictable. **On these seas, nothing is ever normal. Weak hearts soon succumb to fear on the Grand Line.**"

"And the weak of heart," continued Sanji, "cared more for their lives than promises they'd made, and hightailed it out of here, eh?"

"Then they _did_ abandon the whale!" Usopp exclaimed, sounding horrified. "And after 50 years…HE STILL BELIEVES IN THOSE JERKS! THAT'S TOO CRUEL!"

"But why don't you tell Laboon the truth?" Nami asked. "He can understand human speech, can't he?"

"All animals can," I said. "We just choose not to understand them." Nami looked at me.

"Then, why don't you tell him?" She asked Crocus, taking what I said in stride.

"I told him the whole story," Crocus said. "But he wouldn't listen." He was silent for a few minutes as he recalled that day. "And that's when it began. Laboon turned toward Reverse Mountain and began to wail. Then he started ramming the Red Line with his head. It's as if he were convinced that any day now, the pirates would return from behind the mountain. I've tried explaining to him many times, but he refuses to face the truth."

"That's some whale!" Sanji praised. "Betrayed, but he still believes." I thought back on the hurt and sorrow that I felt from Laboon. Oh, he felt betrayed, all right.

"But he's waiting for nothing!" Nami argued.

"Yes. He ignored what I say." Crocus sounded resigned to that fact. "He's afraid to lose his reason for waiting. After all this time, he's terrified of losing that hope." Luffy suddenly plopped his hat onto my head, and picked me up, carrying me with him to our ship.

"What are we doing?" I asked curiously, looking back to see that none of the crew had noticed our sudden departure.

"I'm going to give Laboon a reason to wait." Luffy said with finality, staring at the main mast. I could almost read his thoughts, and protested.

"Well, don't use the _main_ mast! That would hurt Merry!" I said, and then pointed to the mizzen mast. "Use that one, it's less likely to effect the sailing, and it would be easier to fix." Luffy nodded at my reasoning, and set me down.

"Right." He said, ripping the mizzen mast from the ship, not seeing my wince as pain flashed down my right arm. I quickly whipped a glamour up over the unnatural red color of my ghostliness, and watched as he ran over to Laboon, and then _up_ the gigantic whale to impale the mizzen mast right at the top of poor Laboon's nose. There was a moment of silence where all parties tried to figure out what happened before everyone was shouting, but about different things.

"WHAT THEHECK ARE YOU DOING!?" The crew and Crocus shouted. I clutched my hat in my left hand and held Luffy's hat on my head with my right as I stared upwards in amusement. Laboon was whipping his head around, trying to dislodge our mizzen mast from his nose, before he stopped, and spied the lighthouse. I could almost see the bulb light up above his head a split second before he dived, squashing Luffy (and as a result, our mizzen mast) against the ground. The mizzen mast dislodged, as did Luffy, but I could see the shit-eating grin on my captains face.

"He's doing that on purpose, isn't he?" I asked Drifter, who had appeared beside me on his cloud.

"Yup." Drifter said, popping the 'p'. I looked over at him. "When are we?" He asked.

"About a week or two after my first meeting you," I informed him. "Should I keep my own journal?"

"If you'd be so kind," Drifter said with a smirk and a bow. I curtsied back, and we both turned to watch the show.

"IT'S A DRAW!" Luffy shouted, halting Laboon in his tracks as the whale was about to smash into the lighthouse. "**I'm pretty strong, huh!?**" Luffy said with a fierce grin.

"Our match isn't over yet. We still have to settle it. Your friends may be gone for good, but now you've got a rival – me!" I couldn't stop a grin from spreading across my face at his words.

"Way to give him something to wait for!" I whispered.

"**After we circle the Grand Line, I'm coming back here, AND WE'RE GONNA FIGHT AGAIN!**" I laughed out loud, pumping my fists in the air and jumping in circles.

"He's a good man." Drifter said, and I could hear the slight awe in his voice.

"Better yet, he's a _great_ man." I replied, patting the strawhat on my head lovingly. "Have I stolen this from him in the future yet?" I asked, looking over at Drifter, who grinned.

"Spoilers!" He said with a laugh, fading into nothing. I stomped my foot on the air and flew over to the others to join in the fun, and to give Luffy his hat back.


	28. Chapter 28

**Ureshiitamago: Well, it's been two weeks this time. **

**Aave: Are you going to say why?**

**Ureshiitamago: I think that the readers get why I'm not updating regularly…**

**Aave: Well, remind ****_me_****. **

**Ureshiitamago: School, there. Said it. That's the way it is, and the way it's gonna be. So, every time I don't update for a while, assume school is holding me hostage. Rest assured though, that I ****_will_****update. Just because it's taking a while doesn't mean I'm on hiatus. **

**Aave: Thank you, moving onto the thankies, I'll be doing them this time!**

**We would like to thank: Tf2sniper326, Drewlexie98, Opener Ace, minchen0897, Warmaul98, link01742, AwkwardPanda89, hachinonana, Laradhel, and axelaya45 for following/favoriting this fanfic.**

**A special thanks to Cupcake, Guest-san, ADDBaby, Guestspirit, Momochan77, chaosrin, and Quirkykit for reviewing!**

**Here's guest review responses!**

**Guest-san: I'm soooo happy you drew me something, but unfortunately, the link doesn't work! T.T**

**Cupcake: I know that you are eager for more chapters, but it's fine to only post once that you want me to update, hun. I do read these as they come in, but unfortunately, during the school week, there's not much I can do to update when you'd like me to. Sorry!**

_"__Better yet, he's a _great_ man." I replied, patting the strawhat on my head lovingly. "Have I stolen this from him in the future yet?" I asked, looking over at Drifter, who grinned._

_ "__Spoilers!" He said with a laugh, fading into nothing. I stomped my foot on the air and flew over to the others to join in the fun, and to give Luffy his hat back. _

**Chapter 28: On Our Ghostly Way!**

A few minutes after Drifter left, Luffy and I grabbed a few buckets of paint that was left over from when we painted the sails, and flew over to Laboon to paint our symbol on his nose. Somehow, somewhere, Luffy had gotten ahold of some seriously oversized paintbrushes, and it was an adventure trying to paint on our symbol without my dropping the brushes because of their sheer size.

"I dropped it again!" I shouted, still clinging onto the overly large brush, but staring morosely at the falling paint bucket. Luffy laughed and caught it expertly before chucking it back up at me. I huffed impatiently and summoned Fairy Queen to carry it for me, as fairies were well known in magical circles for their super strength, though they mainly chose not to advertise that fact to the mundane population. After finishing painting in the red ribbon on the lopsided hat, I told Fairy Queen to tip the rest of the red paint on Zoro, who was snoring away on deck, and not helping repair the mizzen mast.

"AAVE! YOU LITTLE SKAMP!" screamed Zoro when he awoke to a face-full of red. I dropped my paintbrush onto the ground in order to laugh properly, and didn't even flinch when one of Zoro's new swords slashed through me. I did however, choose to be nice and not freeze either of the new swords. They looked like they cost a lot.

"STOP DODGING YOU-AGH!" just as Zoro was about to slash at me another time, Sanji got in his way and they started to fight each other. I sweatdropped as I watched them.

"DON'T PICK ON AAVE-CHAN! SHE'S JUST A CHILD!"

"IS THIS YOUR LOVE-COOK THING? I DIDN'T KNOW YOU WERE INTO KIDS!"

"WHAT WAS THAT, YOU MARIMO?!"

"YOU HEARD WHAT I SAID, ERO-COOK!"

"GUYS STOP IT! WE NEED TO FIX MERRY!" Usopp shouted, not getting into their fight, but not encouraging it either.

"Sanji, weren't you doing something in the kitchen?" I asked, in order to hopefully distract him from 'coming to Aave-chan's rescue', which I totally didn't need. Zoro hadn't meant any harm, and had only reacted like that because he knew that he wouldn't hurt me, and that I wouldn't be bothered by it. Which I wasn't.

"Oh, that's right," Sanji said cheerfully. "Aave-chan, do you want to help me?" He asked, turning away from the fight. Zoro, not caring either way, made himself useful by helping Usopp fix the mizzen mast.

"Sure!" I said with a grin, following Sanji into the kitchen. My eyes widened when I saw a giant Blue Elephant Tuna lying on the counter, ready to be cut up.

"Sanji! A Blue Elephant Tuna!" I cried, pointing at it and jumping up and down in the middle of the air. The cook laughed, and nodded.

"That it is, Aave-chan. I'm going to cook it up as a special welcome dish into Grand Line!" I frowned a little, and shook my head. Surely he didn't mean the _whole thing_. That was kind of wasteful, especially with someone as enamored with food as Luffy was on board.

"Shouldn't we save some of it, just in case?" I decided to ask, peering at the freezer. "Who knows how much Luffy will eat." Well, _I_ knew. And the answer was 'a lot'. He was as much a glutton as he was a pirate, which was slightly worrying as there would undoubtedly be weeks when we were at sea with no land in sight.

"That's true…" Sanji murmured, looking conflicted between trying out cooking all of the fish, and saving some for a rainy day.

"I can even freeze them until we get to the other end of the Grand Line and they'll still be good!" I offered as a last resort, drawing a smile from the cook.

"I guess we'll leave the easier kept parts out and cook the rest then!" he said cheerfully, expertly quartering up the fish and placing about half of it aside. "We'll freeze this pile." He said, indicating the pile he had set aside. I nodded and touched my finger through one of the meats, slowly letting the freeze take over the rest of the pile so that it wouldn't get harmed by frostbite.

"What are you going to do with the ones you're going to cook?" I asked curiously, perched on top of the table after transferring the parts we were going to save to the freezer. Sanji hummed in thought for a moment, staring at the parts left, before quartering them further.

"_We_ are going to pickle the nose, for further storage, but the rest we'll marinate and fry." I nodded happily before backtracking quickly.

"Wait wait wait…_we_?" I squawked, waving my hands in a negative. "I'm a horrible cook, or did you forget that I haven't tried cooking in over 400 years?" This was all ignored by Sanji, who waved me over.

In spite of numerous protests, a few minutes later, I found myself sprinkling pepper over the frying tail of the gigantic fish. As payback, I decided to sing a sing.

**Shiver My Timber**

_Shiver my timbers, shiver my soul_

_Yo ho he ho_

_These are men whose hearts are black as coal_

_And they sailed their ship across the ocean blue_

_A bloodthirsty captain and a cutthroat crew._

_It's a darker tale as was ever told_

_Of a lust for treasure and a love for gold…_

_Shiver my timbers, shiver my sides_

_Yo ho he ho_

_There are hungers as strong as the winds and tides_

_Yo ho he ho_

_And those buccaneers drowned their sins in rum,_

_The devil himself would have to call 'em scum!_

_Every man on board would have killed his mate_

_For a bag of ginnys or a piece of eight,_

_A piece of eight, a piece of eight_

_5 6 7 8_

_HULA WOKA HULA WOKA SOMETHIN' NOT RIGHT_

_MANY ICKY WICKY THINGS GONNA HAPPEN TONIGHT_

_HULA WOKA HULA WOKA SAILOR MAN BEWARE_

_When the money's in the ground, there's murder in the air,_

_Murder in the air._

_ONE MORE TIME NOW!_

_Shiver my timbers, shiver my bones_

_Yo ho he ho_

_There are secrets that sleep with ol' Davy Jones_

_Yo ho he ho_

_When the main sails set and the course is weighed_

_There's no turning back from any course that's laid_

_And when greed and felony sail the sea,_

_You can bet your boots there'll be treachery!_

_HAHAHA_

_YAAAA YA YA YA YAAAAAAA YAAAAAA_

_Shiver my timbers, shiver my sail_

_Dead men tell no tails!_

I turned to look at Sanji with a nasty glint in my eyes. His back was turned to me, but I could tell that he was a little green in the face. A devious thought crossed my mind, and a decidedly not-innocent grin flashed across my face before being replaced by a far more innocent, but still sinister one.

"So, Sanji!" I called over at him cheerfully, still sprinkling pepper on the tail slowly. "How was my singing?" His back was still turned to me, and I could see the slight tensing of his shoulders as I asked that question. I stuck my tongue out slightly. Who was I kidding? My singing was awful, mostly because I was tone-deaf, but also because I just didn't care about the notes I was singing.

"Uuuh, -cough- it was…interesting?" He asked. I raised an eyebrow, trying to keep a straight face.

"Then I should sing more?" I sang, grinning widely to show how excited I was by that prospect. There was a startled cough from Sanji, and he whirled around, slight panic in his eyes.

"You-you will?" He squeaked, then straitened up and smoothed his facial features and suit. "Well, in that case, go on," He nodded to me. I huffed in amusement.

"I'm not going to sing if you don't like it, you know." I informed him, turning back to the pepper that I had abandoned in favor of teasing the cook. I giggled when I heard him sigh in relief. "Your reaction and the rest of the crews have me wondering about something," I said conversationally. Sanji jumped at the chance of not having to hear my sorry excuse for singing.

"What were you wondering?" He asked in obvious relief. After a moment of laughter at his expense, where he reddened to the exact color of radishes, I finally answered him.

"Well, it's just that Luffy doesn't seem to mind my singing all that much, despite the fact that I have the worst type of ear for music, and can't tell a flat from a sharp if my life depended on it…which it doesn't 'cause I'm already dead, but still." There were a few minutes of silence as Sanji contemplated that.

"How long have you been on the crew?" Sanji asked finally. I considered that.

"Well, I've been _sailing_ with Luffy since before Zoro, but I've only been a part of the crew since after we left Nami's island." I answered carefully, knowing there would be questions.

"Well there you go." Sanji said, the steady chopping not pausing once. "He feels the closest to you, maybe he even sees you as a little sister. Heck, even the crap-swordsman does." I mulled over that for a bit, and then shrugged. Now wasn't a very good time to think about that.

"Well, I guess I'll just leave that mystery be," I chirped. "Hey, the whole thing is peppered now. What happens next?" Sanji moved over to me and took over the rest of the preparations.

About half an hour later, the food was ready, and Sanji was carrying the food out while I carried the dishes. I was very careful with them, but did almost drop them when Nami gave out a blood curdling screech that set my teeth on edge and made me frost a couple of plates to my chagrin. I frowned and placed the plates (frozen ones along with the rest) on the table where she was sitting.

"Hey, what's all that racket?" Luffy asked from where he was still admiring the work we had done on the Jolly Roger now adorning Laboon's nose.

"WHAT'S WRONG, NAMI?" Sanji asked from behind me, somehow managing to do that little twirl of his without spilling any of the food he was carrying. "IF IT'S LUNCH YOU WANT, I HAVE IT ALL READY!"

"All right, it's lunch!" Usopp said, hauling himself over the top of the cliff from the ladder we had set up.

"Blue Elephant Tuna!" I announced enthusiastically, flying over to Nami to see what she was staring so angrily at. I giggled when I saw the compass spinning as if Nami was changing her mind about where she wanted to go most.

"Nami, did you buy the compass that points where you want to go?" I asked, poking it with a solid finger.

"NO!" She snapped, obviously at the end of her rope. "THE COMPASS IS BROKEN! THAT'S WHY IT'S SPINNING LIKE CRAZY!" I stuck my tongue out at her and flung myself at Luffy, who was pigging out on the Tuna.

"Oou motha rii ris!" Luffy garbled around his overly full mouth. I laughed and poked his cheek.

"You look like a hamster!" I said cheerily.

"You came to the Grand Line unprepared." Crocus said gruffly. "Well I never! Were you planning on throwing your lives away?"

"Hey! Then you guys could join me in the afterlife!" I said happily, keen on that idea.

"NO!" All of them except for Luffy and Zoro (who was back to sleeping) shouted. I pouted and stuck my tongue out at them.

"She's actually more normal to this ocean than you all." Crocus admitted, much to the horror of Nami. "Your compass isn't broken."

"Then what is it?" Nami questioned, "Some kind of magnetic field?"

"Fields of magnets?" I wondered aloud, imagining a field that was growing those really strong horseshoe magnets.

"No, _magnet field_. It's not an actual magnet, but the pull of the center of earth's gravity." Nami explained before turning back to Crocus. "Well?"

"You're right." He said with a nod. "The many islands of Grand Line are rich in minerals. The region is filled with abnormal magnetic fields."

"Abnormal fields of magnets…" I mumbled, imagining horseshoe magnets of every size, and different magnets of every shape and color.

"Well, not really…" Crocus said with a sigh. "Though I wouldn't be surprised if there actually _was_ an island that consisted solely of magnets." I pouted as he turned back to Nami. "The sea and wind currents also follow no clear pattern. As a mariner, you must realize how dangerous that is."

"So, it's an unpredictable sea," I summarized idly, watching as Luffy hoovered up the parts of the Blue Elephant Tuna that Sanji cooked.

"Pretty much," Crocus said, snatching up a plate of fish before Luffy could take it. "If you were to set sail without knowing that, you would perish. And without another way of telling direction, your journey will by hopeless."

"I-I didn't know…" Nami said sheepishly, rubbing the back of her head. I laughed heartily.

"Now _that_ sounds hopeless!" I cried, clapping my hands together gleefully. Nami glared at me while Usopp panicked and Sanji complemented her profusely.

"SHUT UP!" She screamed at the three of us. I laughed again and moved a plate of Tuna away from Luffy's hands, only for it to be snatched up immediately by him.

"Hey! The trunk is good!" Luffy garbled around the trunk as he stuffed it into his mouth.

"How can you even taste it?" I asked, poking his hamster cheeks again. Luffy shrugged.

"You've got to have a Log Pose if you're going to sail the Grand Line." Crocus added as he finished his share of Tuna.

"A Log Pose? What's that?" Nami asked, taking notes in her navigation book.

"It's a special compass that records magnetic fields," Crocus explained.

"Do the magnets sing?" I asked.

"You mean a weird compass?" Luffy asked at the same time.

"They have an unusual shape." Crocus said with a sweatdrop. "And no, the magnets don't sing."

"Like this?" Luffy asked, holding out a weirdly shaped compass.

"Yes, like that." Crocus nodded.

"Yay! We can record magnets singing!" I shouted joyfully, bouncing in Luffy's lap.

"Not exactly…" Crocus sighed. "Just getting into the Grand Line is hard enough. Without a Log Pose, navigation is impossible."

"I see…" Nami said, standing up from her chair. "but wait a second…" She turned to Luffy, and suddenly punched him, her fist missing me by only a few centimeters.

"WHERE'D YOU GET THAT!?" She screamed as Luffy was lifted off of his seat by the force of the punch and flew backwards, dragging me with him.

"Those strange people dropped it when they left," Luffy explained, sitting up, still holding onto myself and the Log Pose while still eating the trunk of the Tuna.

"Those two?" Nami asked with a look of understanding.

"Why'd you punch Luffy?" I asked curiously, grabbing the Log Pose from Luffy's hand and throwing it lightly at Nami, who caught it expertly.

"Just 'cause." Nami dodged, slipping the Log Pose onto her wrist and holding it up to the light to examine.

"Just 'cause?" Luffy and I deadpanned. Once Luffy had swallowed the trunk, he picked me up and sat back on the chair he had been punched out of, setting me on his lap before pigging out once again.

"So this is a Log Pose," Nami said after a moment of examination. "It has no markings."

"The many islands of Grand Line have magnetic fields that operate according to their own peculiar laws," Crocus warned us. "Therefore, you must record the magnetic field that connects one island to another in the Log Pose, and then sail to the next island." Because I couldn't get the image of singing magnets growing in a field out of my head, I giggled a little.

"On this ocean," Crocus went on, "normal navigational instruments don't work, so you have to depend on your Log Pose to display the magnetic fields. Using this mountain as your start point, you must pick one of seven magnetic fields. No matter which island you begin from, all the routes eventually become one. And the last island of them all is **Raftel. It's the last island of the Grand Line. In all of history, only one group of pirates is known to have landed there for sure…the crew of the Pirate King. Raftel is the stuff of legend.**"

"Is that where it is?" questioned Usopp excitedly, "The One Piece?"

"Perhaps." Crocus acknowledged with a nod. "No other legend is as tempting, yet no one else has ever reached the island."

"**You mean…**" Luffy said with a grin, chewing on a piece of leftover fishbone, "**until we get there**" For a moment, there was silence as we all felt a sense of 'yes, we will _do_ this thing' before Luffy swallowed the last of the fish, and sat back in his chair with a burp.

"Awright, let's go! I'm done eating!" I giggled and flew off of his lap before Sanji blew up at him.

"A Log Pose, eh?" I heard Nami say to herself. "I'd better be careful with it, the fate of our journey rests on this!"

"Uh oh, Nami…" I moaned, flying over to her. "You have no _idea_ what dangers you hath wrought upon us!" I collapsed dramatically an inch off of the ground at her feet. "Sooner rather than later, that poor Log Pose shall meet its end!"

"What the heck are yo-" She was interrupted by an outraged screech from Sanji, and Luffy being booted right past her wrist, breaking the Log Pose.

"Now, I don't mean to say 'I told you so', but I _did_ tell you." I sighed, staring wistfully at the broken Log Pose pieces scattered on the grass. "It lived such a good life too…" Nami was worryingly silent for a moment or two, and then she turned to Sanji and Luffy like a doll would, with quick and jerky movements.

"GO SOAK YOUR HEADS!" She screeched, kicking Luffy and Sanji off of the cliff and into the sea. I whistled at how far she had kicked them.

"I'd say about a nine point five for accuracy," I quipped, whisking out a paper board and marker from the air and writing down my score. "High scooore!" I shouted. Holding it over my head.

"SHOULDN'T YOU BE MORE WORRIED!?" Usopp cried, and I turned to see that his face had adopted a pretty funny look. "I MEAN, WASN'T THAT THING REALLY, REALLY IMPORTANT!?" I had to bite my lips to keep from laughing at his face.

"What'll we do, Crocus?" Nami panicked, holding up the wrist that had the broken Log Pose strapped onto it. "Our Log Pose is…" She trailed off and sobbed.

"Broken beyond repair," I supplied. "in pieces, gone to heaven, beyond help, went to a better place, joined its broken brethren, shattered, crushed, smashed into a million pieces, went Humpty Dumpty on us-"

"WE GET IT!" Nami and Usopp shouted at me. I laughed and spun a few cartwheels.

"Don't panic," Crocus rumbled reassuringly. "You can have mine as thanks for helping Laboon."

"Hey!" I sang, "The Doctor saves the day!" I made some pom-poms appear and jumped around in the air while waving them around. Nami was in tears thanking him, and Usopp looked so relieved that he had melted into a pile of relieved goo. I laughed and poked the goo with a stick.

"Does the goo explode?" I asked Usopp-goo. Usopp suddenly popped back into himself.

"No, it doesn't, but that gives me a good idea for a new pellet!" he said with a grin. I cheered.

"Do I get to help?" I asked eagerly. Usopp nodded and went to go ruffle my hair before apparently remembering that one, he would freeze, and two, there was a hat on my head.

"How is Luffy able to touch you without freezing?" Usopp asked after a moment of awkward silence. I thought about that for a moment, listening to the sounds of not two, but four people climbing up the ladder.

"No idea." I said bluntly, shrugging my shoulders. Usopp sweatdropped.

"Not even you know, huh…"

"I have a friend named Drifter, maybe he knows? I'll ask the next time I see him."

"You do that, Aave…what are _they_ doing here?" Usopp suddenly growled, making me look over at the people who had ascended the ladder. Luffy and Sanji I had expected, but I was surprised to see that Mr. Nine and Ms. Wednesday were there too.

"Luuffy, did you get me a pet?" I giggled, launching myself at him. Luffy shook his head as he caught me, and I pouted. The two weirdo pets suddenly bowed at us.

"We need transportation to Whisky Peak!" They shouted at the same time. I was impressed by their synchronization in both their speaking, and their movements.

"They're interesting," I grinned, "Let's keep them!"

"You can't keep things you find lying around," Nami informed me, "It isn't healthy.

"We're not things!" Mr. Nine and Ms. Wednesday cried, sitting up at the same time. I giggled again. "We just need you to take us to Whisky Peak!" Ms. Wednesday added.

"Whisky Peak?" Nami finally asked. "What's that?"

"It's the name of our town…" Mr. Nine said shakily.

"You lost your ship, and you want us to take you home?" Sanji said in a disbelieving tone.

"Why should we help you, Mr. Nine?" Nami asked, turning her devious on. "You tried to kill that whale."

"Who are you guys, anyway?" Usopp asked.

"I'm a king-" Nami pulled sharply on Mr. Nine's cheek, making him shout in pain.

"Liar." She growled, an angry tic mark making itself known on her head.

"WE CAN'T TELL YOU!" The both of them shouted, bowing once again. "WE JUST WANT TO GO HOME! WE PROMISE TO REPAY YOU!"

"Promises don't mean squat coming from whalers." I huffed, crossing my arms as I perched on Luffy's shoulders.

"It's not our fault!" Ms. Wednesday shot at me. "Our work requires us to be secretive! Our company's motto is 'mystery'. That's all we can reveal. We appeal to your kindness and compassion."

"Don't trust them," Crocus scoffed, "those two are no good."

"What do you think?" I whispered to Luffy, who made a thoughtful humming sound, examining the two closely. I huffed at his non-answer and planted my chin on the top of his head.

"By the way," Nami laughed, holding up the broken Log Pose. "We broke the Log Pose you dropped, do you still want to come with us?" The effect of her words was immediate. Mr. Nine and Ms. Wednesday adopted an indignant and angry air.

"WH-WHAT? YOU BROKE IT? THAT LOG POSE WAS MINE!" Yowled Mr. Nine.

"WE GOT DOWN ON OUR KNEES AND BEGGED, AND YOU'RE STUCK HERE TOO?" Ms. Wednesday shrieked, the both of them growing shark teeth.

"Oh! But we have the one that Crocus gave us!" Nami chortled, and the two weirdos collapsed once again into a low bow, groveling for passage once again. I blinked.

"They are very quick to anger," I noted. Luffy nodded and stepped forward.

"It's okay," he said. "You can come with us." There was some immediate cheering from the two weirdos, and protests from the crew that was awake. Luffy shook his head at the protestors (Nami and Usopp), and they huffed, but accepted his decision.

"The Log Pose takes about an hour to set," Crocus sighed, tossing Nami a map and his Log Pose. She caught them both and he told her how to set it to the course that we wanted. Once she had gotten started on that, I saw that Crocus was motioning for me to come over to him. I tumbled off of Luffy, and flew over to Crocus.

"You knew Roger." He stated, staring at me. I blinked at him for a moment, trying to figure out what he meant.

"Roger?" I stuttered, "As in, Gol D. Roger?" At his nod, I nodded back. "Yes, I did. How did you know?" A sad look came over the good doctor's face, and I instantly regretted asking that question.

"Well, Roger would tell his crew stories about a young ghost he and Rayleigh had met before they left East Blue. Said that she was going to find them one day, just to show him that she could leave the island she was trapped on." Suddenly, it was hard for me to swallow (though I didn't need to 'cause I was dead), and I felt the – now familiar – ghostly prickling behind my eyes.

"It was only one day," I murmured. "Why, after all those years, did he still remember?" to my surprise, Crocus chuckled. I looked up, and Crocus must have seen the confusion on my face, because he coughed into his hand to stop chuckling, and explained himself.

"Roger never explained why he decided to remember you, but I have a theory." I sniffled and stared at Crocus, waiting for his theory.

"Later on in life, Roger came to me, asking for an off the books examination."

"You were on his crew?" I gasped, looking at Crocus in a whole knew light. Crocus chuckled again, and then became grave.

"I was. As I said, he came to me asking for an examination."

"Off the books," I added, knowing what that meant.

"Yes, he didn't want anyone to know." Crocus admitted. "He was dying of a rare disease, though he _did_ say that it wasn't as rare as the one you had before you died."

"I forgot that I had told him what my sickness was exactly," I huffed, smiling shakily. Crocus allowed me a moment to collect myself before continuing.

"I think that Rayleigh would want to tell you how he died, but suffice to say that he told me of the promise he had made you not to die of disease." I blinked at Crocus as I registered these words. Roger had kept his promise.

"But, I didn't see him…" I choked out. "I wasn't able to keep up my end of the bargain…"

"You came from Logue Town, correct?" Crocus said, not unkindly. I nodded, not trusting myself to speak at that moment. "Then you've seen the scaffold?"

"Before it as struck by lightning and toppled over, yes." I nodded, absently noticing that Crocus's eyes went wide.

"Wait, _what_? Toppled over!?" He squawked, which was a funny combination with his usual gruff voice. I giggled for a moment at it while I nodded.

"Luffy was going to be executed on it by Clowny big-nose, but lightning struck it at the last moment, and he was saved." I informed him.

"Buggy?" Crocus asked, a strange look coming over his face. I thought for a moment before nodding.

"Yup, I _think_ that was Clowny big-nose's name." Crocus snorted.

"That nickname suits him perfectly." Crocus muttered. "Back to the subject at hand, you've made good on your promise." I tilted my head in more confusion.

"What I mean is, you've met him in spirit, and you're going to meet up with more than one crewmate of his on your journey. They'll be sure to recognize you." I sweatdropped.

"He told _that many_ stories about me?" I asked wearily. "Again, it was only _one night_!"

"But you all talked the whole night, didn't you?" Crocus laughed. "He would tell the same stories over and over again. Said it was like talking to and old woman in a child's body sometimes, but then other times it was just the child talking."

"I guess that was kind of hard to keep up with, huh…" I chuckled, remembering all of the mood swings I had during my conversation with Roger and Rayleigh. "He really took his promises seriously, didn't he?"

"He did," Crocus agreed with a smile. "How's life away from your island?"

"Bizarre in an awesome adventure way!" I said with a biiiiiig smile, sparkles suddenly surrounding me. "It's waaaaay better than I thought it would be! Especially with Nakama like these!" I was waving my hands in the air excitedly, barely missing clipping my hat when one of my hands swung around. Crocus laughed at my antics.

"I can see what he meant!" He chortled. "For a few minutes there, you were an old lady, but right now you're just a kid." I huffed, and crossed my arms, throwing my nose into the air snootily.

"Well, I _am_ 422 years old!" I said as snootily as I could. "It would be quite sad if I couldn't fluidly change between ages now, couldn't it!" This only served to make Crocus laugh more, and I after a moment of trying to keep my indignant look up, I laughed with him. After a few moments of laughter, we finally calmed down enough to talk again.

"Roger never forgot anyone who he wanted as part of his crew." Crocus said, the sad look overtaking his face again. "That's why I think he didn't forget you. You had wanted to come with him, but physically could not. I asked him once why he wasn't as persistent as he usually is when recruiting crewmates, and he said that it was because he wasn't sure what would happen if he actually succeeded in taking you away from there without you returning. Would you have faded away? Or would you have lost your sense of self? Instead of trying it out and potentially harming you, he decided to wait."

"I…didn't know." I murmured, playing with the watch hanging on my neck. "I was going to fulfill my promise to him, whether he remembered me or not, but I wasn't very hopeful about him actually remembering me. I mean, I _hoped_ he would, so I blotted out the uncertainty, though it was certainly there."

"What'cha talking about?" A familiar voice piped up from behind me before Luffy plucked me out of the air.

"An old friend," Crocus and I chorused, grinning at each other. Luffy blinked, hiking me up onto his hip.

"I don't get it." He said.

"Our mutual friend Roger," Crocus elaborated, only serving to add to Luffy's confusion.

"Roger?" Luffy questioned, question marks literally appearing over his head.

"Gol D. Roger." I sighed, deciding to make it easy for him. The look of confusion on his face heightened for a moment, and his face turned a frankly alarming shade of red before it was gone just as quickly as it had appeared, and he looked surprised and elated all at once.

"You knew the Pirate King!?" He gasped, his signature large smile adorning his face. I giggled, and Crocus and I nodded.

"He passed through here," Crocus said idly, glancing at me for a moment. I felt a little clueless until I realized that he didn't want Luffy to know about him being on Roger's crew yet.

"He was on my island for a day," I told Luffy. "We became good friends, and he gave me my watch." I held it up for Luffy to look at. Luffy looked at it for a minute.

"Don't tell me about anything relating to our goal," He instructed Crocus and I, and we nodded seriously, seeing the firm resolve in his eyes. Crocus glanced at his own watch, and then whistled.

"It's time," he called to Nami. "The Log Pose should be full now!" He walked over to her. "Did you use the map to set it?" Luffy hitched me onto his back as we headed to the ship.

"Yup," Nami confirmed as we passed them. "It's pointing to Whisky Peak." With that, Nami, Luffy, and I hopped aboard, where the others were already waiting.

"Are you sure you want to take those two, boy?" Crocus asked Luffy, who was still giving me a piggy-back ride. "Once you've chosen your course, there's no changing it."

"If we don't like it, we'll just sail around again." Luffy said matter-of-a-factly. This made Crocus grin.

"So you will," he replied gruffly, and perhaps a little bit wistfully. "Aave, if I see Rayleigh, I'll let him know that you've made it." I grinned down at him from around Luffy's head.

"Thanks!" I called down, waving at the younger old man.

"Goodbye, flower-man." Luffy said.

"Thanks for the Log Pose!" Nami added, leaning on the railing.

"Good luck to you!" Returned Crocus, and off we sailed, but there was one more farewell we needed to make.

"GOODBYE, LABOON!" All except Zoro (who was still sleeping, that lazy) shouted, and Laboon returned our goodbye with his own.

"**BWAAAAAAAAAAAAH!**"

Grand Line, here we come!


	29. Chapter 29

**Ureshiitamago: Only been a week, only been a week, YEAH! SUUUUPERRRRRR! –does the Franky thing – **

**Aave: WOW! HOW WONDERFUL! YOU'RE ACTUALLY ON TIME FOR ONCE!**

**Ureshiitamago: I try. New updates every week hopefully, ya'll! Now, onto thankies! This week is a short one!**

**We would like to thank; marrok4shadowpaw, JayXGrmR, Ravenclaw-girl28 (me too! High five!), The nerd Queen15, and ma petite lili for following/favoriting this fic!**

**A special thanks to AC, Valkyrie, blackfox, Guest-san, ADDBaby, and Momochan77 for reviewing! **

**Wow, there's a lot of Guest reviews this time. Let's answer them!**

**AC: Hmm, well, she hasn't learned who (that person) is yet, but we'll see soon! ;) Also, yes, Aave will be like Nel a little, but she can really transform into anything, not just an older version of herself and a centaur…though Nel is pretty cool**

**Valkyrie: I don't know Finnish, but Google kind of does! And no, it's not a coincidence that Aave and Ihmisen have their names…heehee**

**Blackfox: Aaaw, don't cry! Here's another chapter to cheer you up!**

**Guest-san: I tried what you said, but it sent me a spam thing…:'( it just doesn't seem to work on my computer, sorry!**

_"__GOODBYE, LABOON!" All except Zoro (who was still sleeping, that lazy) shouted, and Laboon returned our goodbye with his own._

_ "__**BWAAAAAAAAAAAAH!**__"_

_Grand Line, here we come! _

**Chapter 29: Welcome to the Ghostly Parade**

"You know," I said to Usopp as we carved a woman into a snow sculpture, "You all could die of hypothermia, and join me as ghosts."

"DON'T SAY THINGS LIKE THAT!" Usopp shouted, tears in his eyes. I giggled and plopped a heap of snow onto her head. "What's that?" asked Usopp, pointing at the blob of snow dubiously.

"That's her hat!" I said while doing a weird dance, "We wouldn't want her catching a _cold_ now, would we?" Usopp made a sound like he was choking, but when I looked at him with narrowed eyes, he coughed into his fist. Our attention was drawn to Luffy, who had been assembling his own snowman behind us.

"Done!" He announced, "It's the man who fell from the sky, MR. SNOWMAN!" I cheered and flew over to Luffy's snowman, which looked like a regular snowman would, with the exception of a barrel on his head.

"Hahaha!" Usopp laughed, a sparkle appearing next to his face, "your snowman is boring!"

"Exqueeze me?" I snorted, planting my hands on my hips. "Our snowman is the boring one!" Usopp gaped at me.

"TRAITOR!" He shouted, "HOW COULD YOU SAY THAT THE SNOW QUEEN IS BORING!?"

"Because she looks just like that Kaya lady!" I pointed out, stomping my foot in the air.

"SNOWMAN PUNCH!" Luffy shouted, hitting the back of one of his snowman's arm poles so that it shot forward, destroying Snow-Kaya's face.

"SNOW FIIIIIGHT!" I hollered as Usopp got his revenge by kicking Luffy's snowman in the face, destroying it as well. In a matter of minutes, there was a full blown snow fight going on, which I joined in on by becoming human.

"FOR NARNIAAAA, AND FOR AAASLAAAAN!" I screamed, hefting a large bank of snow over my head and heaving it at Luffy and Usopp, who were too busy fighting each other at that point to notice me. I cackled madly and brought full sized Bearetta out to help me fight.

"ONWARD, BEARETTA! LET US PARTICIPATE IN THE BATTLE TO END ALL BATTLES…THE SNOWFIIIIIIGHT!" Bearetta and I both let out a war cry and dashed at Usopp and Luffy, who were struggling to get out of the snow. Bearetta and I leapt on them and started to cover them with more snow as they attempted their escape. "RESISTANCE IS USELESS!" I cried, hanging onto Luffy like a monkey when he was finally able to stand up, and pelting him with snow that Bearetta handed to me as she sat on Usopp.

"GET THE BEAR OFF OF ME!" Usopp shouted, "THE SNOW IS COLD!"

"THE SUN IS HOT!" I shouted back, shrieking as Luffy attempted to dislodge me.

"WHAT'S THAT SUPPOSED TO MEAN?!" Usopp cried, tears comically running down his face.

"I thought we were stating the obvious," I explained, dangling from Luffy's hand like a cat when he finally dislodged me. "This is a snowball fight. We take no prisoners."

"In that case…" Luffy said with a large grin that held no hope for me. I shrieked and started my struggle anew as he drew closer to the one untouched bit of snow left on the deck.

"NOOOOOOOOO!" I cried, trying to twist away from the offending patch of snow, to no avail. Alas, my opponent was too strong for any hope of victory on my part, and I was half covered in snow when Nami screamed.

"AAAGH!"

"WHAT!" Sanji immediately shouted, "WHAT IS IT!?"

"WHAT HAPPENED, NAMI?" Usopp added. I sat up in the snow and craned my neck to look at the upper deck, where Nami suddenly appeared from the kitchen.

"**TURN THE SHIP AROUND 180 DEGREES! HURRY!**" She cried in panic, gripping the railing like her life depended on it.

"A HUNDRED AND EIGHTY DEGREES?" Usopp shouted in surprise, "WHY ARE WE TURNING BACK?"

"Why is there a difference between 180 and a hundred and eighty is written?" I pondered to myself. "They're both the same thing."

"What are you talking about?" Usopp asked as Luffy asked Nami if she had forgotten something.

"Nothing, forget I said anything." I replied with a smile, pelting him with one last snowball.

"NO! SOMEHOW THE SHIP GOT TURNED AROUND! WE'RE GOING BACK THE WAY WE CAME!" Nami was pointing at the Log Pose.

"Meeeerry!" I whined, "How could you betray us like that!" Merry chuckled heartily.

"I ONLY TOOK MY EYES OFF THE LOG POSE FOR A SECOND! AND THE SEA WAS SO SMOOTH!"

"The world works in mysterious ways…" I commented, concentrating and turning back into my ghost form, the leftover snow falling through me as I rose to join Nami on the upper deck. I waved my hand, and Bearetta also disappeared.

"The sea is having its way with us." Agreed Mr. Nine from inside the kitchen. I peered in to see him and Ms. Wednesday curled up at the table wrapped up in thick blankets.

"Are you sure you're a navigator?" Quipped Ms. Wednesday, "on the Grand Line, you can't trust the wind, the sky, the waves, or even the clouds. Everything is treacherous…"

"Especially the hitchhikers," I muttered to Nami, who hid her laugh behind her hand.

"The only thing you can count on is the Log Pose! Understand?" Ms. Wednesday finished.

"I understand that you're a lazy little girly girl!" I said, sticking my tongue out at her. Nami kicked both of them out of the kitchen – quite literally too.

"OH, STOP ACTING LIKE YOU KNOW EVERYTHING AND START HELPING!" She shouted as they flew out of the kitchen. I held up a piece of cardboard with the number '10' on it.

"WE'LL TAKE THE WIND FROM THE STARBOARD YARD BRACE!" She shouted. I flew down and joined everyone rushing around on deck. "TURN THE SHIP 180 DEGREES TO PORT! USOPP, WATCH ASTERN! SANJI, YOU TAKE THE WHIPSTAFF!" Sanji flew off with a barrage of compliments to Nami that made me gag. "AAVE, YOU ADJUST THE MAIN RIGGING WHEN WE NEED IT!" I saluted her and zoomed up to the relevant ropes of the main sail, awaiting orders.

"HOLD IT!" Usopp suddenly shouted just as I got into place, "THE WIND'S CHANGED!"

"WOW, GRAND LINE LOVES US!" I shouted back as we were forced to change our direction once again and spring came to our small patch of water that we were frantically spinning circles in.

"ZORO! WAKE UP! IT'S AN EMERGENCY!" I heard Usopp yell. I glanced down long enough to see Zoro still snoring against the railing. Giggling, I sent a paint-bomb down at him (in the color pink of course), which sent him out of his seat and into the action pretty quickly.

"NAMI I SEE A PINK CLOUD RAINING CHOCOLATE!" I shouted among the various other screams of different natural disasters.

"HOW IS THAT EVEN POSSIBLE?!" Came her response.

"GRAND LINE!" I answered as we steered away from it. There seemed to be a cackling goat-dragon thing on top of it, watching our progress with interest. I cried out in surprise when a sudden pain broke out on my side in synch with the Merry just scraping by an iceberg.

"WE'RE TAKING ON WATER IN THE BILGE!" Luffy informed us. I gritted my teeth and worked through the pain as chaos erupted around us. We stopped only for a moment for food, and then we were off again, patching up the bilge when it broke again, and fixing the sail when it started to rip.

After about an hour of weird weather and sudden changes in course, the sea went from throwing a two-year-old sized temper tantrum to suddenly calm.

"I wish I'd stayed asleep," gasped a no-longer pink Zoro, who was lying flat on his back on the deck with everyone else.

"I'm glad I threw a paint balloon at you then," I retorted, floating above the deck in my hanging-over-a-tree-branch pose.

"I hope we're still sailing in the right direction," he commented, causing Nami to gasp and check her Log Pose.

"Still the same," She announced in relief. There was much rejoicing.

"By the way, what are the two poachers doing here?" Zoro asked. I snorted in amusement, taking Bearetta back out and turning her into the hulking and intimidating bear that she is inside.

"Bearetta's food," I said, sending Bearetta over to them, watching as they screamed and tried to move away from her.

"Call Bearetta off," Nami sighed, reluctantly sitting up.

"We're sailing to their town!" Luffy announced, sitting on the upper deck's railing and looking quite unaffected.

"You're not taking them home, are you?" Zoro asked, sounding a little dubious. "We don't owe them anything."

"No, we sure don't," Luffy agreed, clapping the bottoms of his sandals together. Zoro snorted and sat up, looking over at Ms. Wednesday and Mr. Nine threateningly.

"You two look like you're up to something," Zoro observed with a smirk, making the two hitchhikers gulp nervously. "What did you say your names were?"

"I…I'm Mr. Nine," answered Mr. Nine with some hesitation.

"And I'm Ms. Wednesday," gulped Ms. Wednesday soon after Mr. Nine had introduced himself. _Zoro's up to something_. I thought to myself with a chuckle.

"That's right, they've been stuck in my head," Zoro said slowly, his grin widening. "Seems like I've heard them somewhere before…" Mr. Nine and Ms. Wednesday sat up and looked at him immediately, eyes widening almost comically in fright.

"…or maybe not!" Zoro finished. The two poachers looked at each other in cautious relief.

"Torture doesn't become you, Zoro!" I scolded him, throwing another paint balloon at him, this time painting him blue. Zoro growled in anger and stood up to run at me when he was sent to the ground by Nami's fist.

"STAY ALERT, PEOPLE!" She shouted, holding her smoking fist in the air in front of her. "WHO KNOWS WHAT WILL HAPPEN NEXT!?"

"A unicorn named Bob arrives to escort us to Whisky Peak." I offered, kicking my feet in the air behind me. Nami responded by throwing a random piece of wood in my direction.

"NO! **I know now how dangerous this ocean is! And I know how the Grand Line got its reputation! MY NAVIGATION SKILLS ARE USELESS HERE!**" Nami looked so proud of that fact.

"Sure you'll be okay?" Usopp asked weakly from the upper deck.

"Yeah, you seem to be saying that you're useless…" I added, taking my hat off to scratch the top of my head.

"Oh shut up…" She muttered at me, half-heartedly throwing another piece of wood at me. "Of course I will! Something good will happen! And there's proof! Look." She pointed to the bow of the ship, where a shape was making itself known in the distance. "The first leg of our journey, is over!"

"HEY! WHISKY PEAK!" I shouted excitedly, shooting up to the top of the mast to get a better look.

"IT'S AN ISLAND OF GIANT CACTUSES!" Luffy shouted from below, his excitement rising to new levels. I, on the other hand, felt mine slowly draining away. The island reeked of death. What the jolly ol' Saint Nicolaus? I flew down to be with the others for a moment, watching absently as the island drew closer. Finally, when it was only a few hundred yards away, Ms. Wednesday and Mr. Nine suddenly leapt up onto the railing.

"Well, we'll be taking our leave now!" Mr. Nine said.

"Thanks for the ride, darlings!" twittered Ms. Wednesday. "We'll see you again, fate willing!" Then, the two dove backwards off with their signature phrase, "Bye bye baby!"

"They're gone…" I observed, a sweatdrop running down my head.

"Who were those guys?" Zoro chuckled, shaking his head in amusement.

"FORGET 'EM! LET'S LAND!" Luffy cheered from his spot on his special seat. I decided to go invisible for this visit, crew's eyes only.

"There's a river up ahead," Nami noted, "It looks like we have to sail inland."

"I-I hope there aren't monsters," Usopp worried, holding his stomach.

"That's a definite possibility," Sanji informed us. "This _is_ the Grand Line."

"That includes people," I added.

"If there are, we'll just run away," Luffy proposed.

"You'll fight them head on," I sighed, and Luffy laughed in agreement.

"Hold it," Nami barked. "Don't forget, we can't leave right away." I had actually forgotten about that. It seems like the rest of the crew did too.

"How come?" Luffy asked.

"We have to record the island's magnetic field with the Log Pose before we can move to the next island!" She answered, tapping the Pose with her finger. "The time it takes to 'log' on each island varies. Some islands may only take a few hours, but others could take days."

"Or even years," I added, remembering a story my brother had told me once.

"**You mean in an island full of monsters, we might have to stick around for days!?**" Usopp babbled, accentuating every word with a wave of his hands. Nami replied the yes, we had to.

"Well, we'll worry about that when the time comes!" Luffy laughed. "Let's go!"

"I'm invisible to others by the way, so don't talk to me if there are people, just saying." I said, throwing in my ten beris. I got a couple of weird looks from Usopp, Luffy, and Sanji, but Nami and Zoro nodded thoughtfully. After a moments conversation on the best way to enter the island, we came to the only decision that we could at that point without sailing around the whole island to find another entrance.

"WE HAVE TO SAIL THE RIVER BECAUSE IT'S THERE!" Was Luffy's constant argument. At this point, when we had exhausted all other possibilities, Nami finally agreed with him.

"It looks that way," Nami admitted with a sigh.

"Luffy's right," Zoro said, "there's no use sitting around any longer. Let's go."

"**I'll protect you, Nami!**" Sanji said with a thumbs up.

"Hey guys," Usopp said shakily, eyeing the island nervously, "I think I'm coming down with 'better not visit this island' fever!"

"Really?" I asked in concern, "That's a serious disease that you could die from!" A startled Usopp looked at me in trepidation.

"R-really?" He asked tentatively, searching my face for any sign that I was playing a prank on him, which I was doing, obviously. I forced my face to stay neutral, and replied to him.

"Of course! The first sign is knocking knees, and then the second sign is nausea. However, it's actually too late once you get to those symptoms, you're already on the road of no return. Your guts will spill out of your mouth, and your bones will dissolve. To put it simply, you're dead." That elicited a terrified screech out of Usopp, and he was panicking for about three minutes before I started laughing and rolling around in the air, signaling that it was a prank.

"AAVE!" He squawked, tears running down his face as the rest of the crew laughed along with me. "DON'T SCARE ME LIKE THAT!"

"You make it too easy!" I roared, a large grin plastered across my face.

"Okay," Nami said, breaking up the small party. "we're going in. Don't forget, be ready to run or fight."

"Or hide," I added, "if they're attacking from above, there's no point in running. They could just follow us."

"That's not making me feel any better!" Usopp scream-whispered, only to be broken off by the sound of people talking in the distance.

"I've got a bad feeling about this," I groaned, hanging part-way over the railing.

"WELCOME TO THE TOWN OF CELEBRATION – WHISKY PEAK!" The entire shore shouted when the mist disappeared, catching me completely off guard. "PIRATES!" they continued, "WELCOME TO OUR TOWN! WELCOME TO THE GRAND LINE!"

"You catch more flies with honey?" I asked Nami and Zoro doubtfully, wrinkling my nose at the smell of death radiating off of all of them, even the children.

"Undoubtedly," Nami agreed.

"Trap central," growled Zoro, drumming his fingers on the hilt of the white sword.

"Want me to take a closer look at those cactuses?" I asked, pointing at the weirdly shaped needles.

"While you're at it, spy on them. See what they want." Nami added, smiling and waving to the crowd.

"How will you find us?" Zoro asked as we drew up to the dock. I grinned.

"I think I can find you again, Mr. Blue-man!" I chuckled when he growled angrily and swiped the air where I wasn't. He was still blue from the paint, which was supposed to wear off any time now. I flew to the top of the mast, and then looked back at the crew when I was there, watching them walk off with a weird old man who had big curls in his hair.

I set off, and about two minutes in, when the large cactuses didn't get any closer, I decided to sing for my own entertainment.

"Fairy Queen, sing along!" I demanded, Fairy Queen popping into existence next to me. She giggled, and we started singing loudly.

**Impossible**

_Impossible!_

_For a plain yellow pumpkin to become a golden carriage,_

_Impossible!_

_For a plain country bumpkin and a prince to join in marriage,_

_And four white mice will never be four white horses!_

_Such fol-der-rol and fiddle-dee-dee of couse iiiiis,_

_Impossible!_

_But the world is full of zanies and fools,_

_Who don't believe in sensible rules,_

_And don't believe what sensible people saaaay!_

_And because these daft and dewy-eyed dopes _

_Keep building up impossible hopes,_

_Impossible_

_Things are happening eeeeeveryyyyyyy daaaaaaay!_

_Impossible_

_Impossible_

_Impossible_

_Impossible_

_Impossible_

_Impossible_

_Impooooosible!_

_It's possible!_

_For a plain yellow pumpkin to become a golden carriage!_

_It's possible!_

_For a plain country bumpkin and a prince to join in marriage!_

_And four white mice are easily turned to horses!_

_Such fol-der-rol and fiddle-dee-dee of course is,_

_Quite possible!_

_And the world is full of zanies and fools_

_Who don't believe in sensible rules,_

_And don't believe what sensible people say,_

_And because these daft and dewy-eyed dopes_

_Keep building up impossible hopes_

_Impossible_

_Things are happening eeeeeeveerryyyyyyyy daaaaaaaaaay!_

_It's possible_

_It's possible_

_It's possible_

_It's possible_

_It's possible_

_It's possible _

_It's pooooooossible!_

The two of us giggled when we were done, and seeing that we were about halfway closer to the mountains, we decided to sing another.

**N.Y.C.**

_NYC_

_What is it about you_

_You're big_

_You're loud_

_You're tough!_

_NYC_

_I go years without you_

_Then I_

_Can't get_

_Enough!_

_Enough of cab drivers answering back_

_In a language far from pure,_

_Enough of frankfurters answering back_

_Brother, you know you're in_

_NYC_

_Too busy_

_Too crazy_

_Too hot _

_Too cold_

_Too late_

_I'm sold_

_Again_

_It's N…_

_YC!_

_C'mon you slowpokes_

_We gotta get to the Roxy before the prices change_

_NYC_

_The shadows at sundown_

_The roofs_

_That scrape _

_The sky!_

_NYC_

_The rich and the rundown_

_The big_

_Parade_

_Goes by!_

_What other town has the Empire State_

_And a mayor, five foot two_

_No other town in the whole forty-eight_

_Can half compare to you_

_Oh, NYC_

_You make 'em all postcards_

_You crowd_

_You cramp_

_You're still_

_The champ_

_Amen_

_For N…_

_YC!_

_NYC_

_The shimmer of Times Square_

_The pulse_

_The beat_

_The drive!_

_NYC_

_The city's bright as a penny arcade, _

_It blinks,_

_It tilts,_

_It riiiings_

_To think that I've lived here all of my life,_

_And never seen these things!_

_Oh, NYC_

_The whole world keeps coming_

_By bus_

_By train_

_You can't_

_Explain_

_Their yen_

_For Star_

_To be!_

_NYC_

_Just got here this morning!_

_Three bucks_

_Two bags_

_One me!_

_NYC_

_I'll give you fair warning_

_Up there_

_In lights_

_I'll be!_

_Go ask the Gershwins or Kaufman and Hart_

_The place they love the best_

_Though California pays big for their art_

_Their fanmail comes addressed_

_To _

_NYC_

_Tomorrow a penthouse_

_That's way up high_

_Tonight_

_The 'Y'_

_Why not?_

_It's N…_

_YC!_

_NYC_

_You're standing room only_

_You crowd_

_You cramp_

_You're still _

_The champ!_

_Amen_

_For N…_

_YC!_

_(quietly) Give in_

_Don't fight (sleep!)_

_Good girl_

_Good night_

_Sleep tight_

_In N…_

_YC._

By the time we were done with the next song, the mountains were much closer, and I felt a little bit uneasy looking at the spikes of the cactuses. Were they really spikes?

"_One more song and we'll be there_" Fairy Queen noted, perching on my hat. I nodded gently so that she wouldn't fall off, but stayed silent. After a few moments of only the wind whistling past us, and the smell of the sea, Queen Margareta popped into existence next to us, flying on a broom and tutting at us.

"_Come on, let's take your mind off of what's to come,_" she said. "_One more song,_" I grinned weakly at her, and we started another song, though it was noticeably weaker and less energetic than the other two.

**What's the Matter With Kids Today**

_Kids, I don't know what's wrong with these kids today._

_Kids, who can understand anything they say?_

_Kids, they are disobedient, disrespectful oafs_

_Noisy, crazy, sloppy, lazy, loafers_

_And while we're on the subject,_

_Kids! You can talk and talk 'till your face is blue._

_Kids, but they still do just what they want to do_

_Why can't they be like we were, perfect in every way?_

_What's the matter with kids today?_

_Kids, I've tried to raise you the best I could_

_Kids, all the things I've done were for your own good._

_Kids, can't you once appreciate how I've sacrificed_

_Working, slaving, scrimping, saving pennies_

_And livin' with your father!_

_Kids, no one knows the burdens I've had to bear (and in _my_ condition!)_

_Kids, I'm a poor sick woman and does he care?_

_Go on, go on and kill me, that's what it's coming to_

_When a mother has kids like you!_

_Kids, all the chicken soup I made for you!_

_Kids, now you throw me out like a worn old shoe_

_Mom, after all I haven't been such an awful son,_

_I never sass you back, or leave a ring around the bathtub, _

_And don't I always phone you?_

_Kids, you can give your life to 'em night and day,_

_Kids, then they go get married and go away!_

_Why do we have these children?_

_Better to have a pet! (You know where you stand with a pet)_

_I never asked for nothing, nothing's what you're gonna get!_

_What's the matter with kids to-_

_Why can't they be like Albert, perfect in every way?_

_What's the matter with kids?_

_Yeah, what's the matter with kids?_

_Nothing's the matter with kids today!_

Towards the end of the song, all three of our voices grew more and more soft as we approached the mountains, before they died away completely on the last line.

"Leaping lizards!" I gasped, shying away from the mountain that I was approaching. Graves. That's what the needles were for the cactus. Those sick meanies! I covered my mouth with a hand as I eyed the graves. Each had the same name on them; Mr. (or Ms.) Sacrifice.

"They're bounty hunters!" I choked, overwhelmed by the sheer number of people who had died. I mean, they might not have been all good, but they were still _people_, and people could change.

"_Or cannibals_" Fairy Queen nonchalantly stated, as if she were commenting on the weather. I gaped in horror. In that case, 'sacrifice' would be in perfect context!

"_Oh, don't make her panic!_" Queen Margareta scolded Fairy Queen, whose apologies I didn't hear as I left them in the dust on my way back to warn the others. _Either they're bounty hunters, or they're cannibals. Either way, we've definitely fallen into a honey-trap! _In my haste to get back, I almost forgot Nami's other request, to gather information. Luckily though, I saw the man with huge rollers for hair walk out of a building and look up at the moon. I stopped near the awning of a nearby store so that I could hear him properly.

"They're all passed out cold," The man said. His voice was rumbly and deep. "Sweet dreams, brave adventurers," My nakama weren't dead yet! That was a relief. "Tonight, the cactus rocks seem to dance so beautifully in the moonlight." I shivered when his attention changed from the moon to the mountain of graves. Bounty hunters. Well, at least it wasn't cannibals. 'Grind your bones to make my bread' and all that.

"You're a poet, Mr. Eight." A voice said from above me, startling the bejabbers out of me. When I collected myself, I glanced up to see Mr. Nine and Ms. Wednesday sitting on the roof.

"Oh, it's you two." Mr. Eight didn't sound so thrilled at their appearance.

"How are they?" Ms. Wednesday asked as she and her partner jumped off of the roof to land on the ground.

"They've all fallen into the abyss."

"Battle not with monsters, lest ye become a monster," I whispered, remembering something that Roger had told me in the middle of that one night, "and if you gaze into the abyss, the abyss gazes also into you…" Shaking my head, I flew into the building that Mr. Eight had walked out of, and did a quick headcount of my Nakama. All except Zoro were there. Ducking back outside, I looked around for a moment, only for his voice to come out of nowhere, confusing both myself and the bounty hunters.

"Sorry, but would you let them sleep a little longer?" He asked, an unsheathed sword in his hand. I sweatdropped. He was sitting on top of a building with his back to the moon. Sometimes, he just had to be all dramatic, like a Queen.

"They're tired from the voyage," he added. At that moment, an evil minion burst out of the door, just narrowly missing me.

"MR. EIGHT! MS. MONDAY!" The minion screamed, "ONE OF THEM GOT AWAY!"

"But you were passed out!" Mr. Eight shouted at the silhouette of Zoro.

"A true swordsman never drinks himself into a stupor." Zoro retorted. "And a den of bounty hunters can be a dangerous place. You trick pirates into celebrating their passage on the Grand Line." I nodded along with his deduction. That sounded about right. A quick look back through the door said that Nami was listening to what was going on, but everyone else was out for the night.

"Looks to be about a hundred bounty hunters!" Zoro laughed, not sounding cowed in the slightest by the crowd that had assembled to kill him. "I'll take you on, Baroque Works!" I blinked. He knew who they were? Nami was suddenly by my ear.

"Do you know where any treasure is?" She asked as the people outside screamed about their organization being secret. I shook my head, and she gave me an irritated look.

"Then what the heck were you scouting for?" She demanded, folding her arms. I threw my hands up into the air in defeat.

"Well, if you must know, most of the night was spent trying to get to cactus rock and back." I groaned, folding my own arms. "And, as a side note, all of those needles are in fact, tombstones! You're welcome!" Nami growled at me, and pointed outside.

"Well, go get more information and find some treasure." She ordered, tapping her foot. I held up my hands again.

"Well excuse _me_, princess!" I sassed, flying out the door and through the crowd, making sure to miss Zoro when he suddenly appeared, looking for himself.

"Be careful, don't break too many valuables or Nami'll kill you." I warned him. Zoro chuckled and continued to look for himself until they noticed him. Once I entered the building opposite, I flew through the ceiling directly into the foot of a sniper, sending them tumbling onto the ground from the cold.

"And there goes another minion to the frozen souls of the underworld," I said dramatically, looking around for others. Luckily, there were none, and I conducted my search in private. "Goodness, where do they put all of the treasure they get from other pirates that they've killed?" I asked the air, pouting and giving up my search. Too lazy to go through the door, I instead flew directly into the other room and searched there too, before becoming bored and giving up.

"This is too booooring!" I wailed, rattling the whole building while I pretended to be a poltergeist. "Woooooooo, the afterlife caaaaaaalls yoooouuuuu!" I imagined up some chains to rattle, and flew around the house, cackling and banging pots and pans together as the chains made a racket around my arms. This must have scared the bounty hunters that were in the building to ambush Zoro, because they ran out screaming. I giggled and followed them outside. Nami's game was too boring, but Zoro's sure looked fun!

I caught up to him on a rooftop where he had landed, and drawn a circle in the ground with his sword. While he was walking away, some bounty hunters appeared out of nowhere in the sky and fell onto the place where he had been standing, and then through the hole that the sword had made in the ground. I giggled at their screaming before muffling my own scream when Zoro almost got creamed by a ladder wielding gorilla. Zoro was then pinned down by said gorilla and punched in the head. I winced when I heard the crack of Zoro getting his revenge.

"You think you're strong?" Zoro asked as he squeezed the gorilla's head with one hand. "Wanna see who's stronger?" He finally let go when she passed out.

"Hyuuu," I fake whistled, floating up to him, "you're stronger than I thought." This made Zoro grin at me.

"Making you think twice about pranking me?" He asked jokingly. I grinned back and rattled the chains on my arms.

"Naw, you can't use that strength against _me_!" I answered with a laugh, and he laughed with me.

"You going to fight with me?" He asked, indicating the few who were left. I shrugged.

"Maybe," I considered, "or maybe I'll just _scare_ 'em a little! Both sound like fun!" This made Zoro laugh again, and he shook his head.

"You know, I really hate it when you prank _me_, but when you do it to other people, it's really funny." I grinned at his response.

"So that means I get to scare 'em." I announced, chuckling darkly and looking back at the remaining bounty hunters in time to see bullets fly at Zoro and I. Well, mainly Zoro, since they couldn't see me. Zoro didn't move as they flew towards him, and I imagined up a shield with the words; 'Catch me if you can!' written in neat handwriting on it. The bullets bounced harmlessly off of it as the shield morphed into a little doll with a broken face. It was standing on its own and was carrying a baseball bat. Suddenly, it disappeared, and reappeared right in front of Mr. Eight. The doll had turned into a girl's toy, also with a cracked face, but dressed in a pink dress.

"Ma-ma..ma-ma" it's cracked voice said over and over. Then, it crumpled into ash, and was blown away.

"You are really going all out," Zoro whispered to me. I grinned and tossed one of my chains down onto the ground in response. It morphed into a very poisonous snake that draped itself around Ms. Wednesday's shoulders and hissed in her face before turning into a very psychotic looking clown with a knife held to her neck.

"I'm every nightmare you ever had," I said, projecting my voice into the clown, "I'm your worst dream come true. I'm everything you ever were afraid of…No one likes clowns at midnight…" Remembering how it felt when I first saw Jomei, I created a similar darkness centered around them, with the broken sound of the typical circus music playing all around them.

"Wow," Zoro shivered. "Remind me to never get you angry."

"When I'm angry with you, I just make you pink," I retorted, adding a flashing clown face to the picture. "I'm just bored right now, and they need to feel fear, after what they did to all those people." Zoro looked over at the Cactus rocks.

"You know, killing is-"

"A necessary part of being alive, I know. I'm dead, remember?" I said with a grin. "But some of those people may have been like us. Pirates with dreams too big for themselves, who saw Grand Line as the place to be free and achieve those dreams." I let it go on for a moment longer before sighing and letting them go. The area cleared up, and it showed all three of them huddled together.

"Your turn!" I sang, "I think I frightened them enough! Now that I'm not bored, I'm going to finish gathering things for Nami." I waved at him and left, floating over to the next building. However, before I flew through the wall, I stopped and frowned, sensing something odd. Looking around, I decided to follow that weird feeling.

Feeling a little bit possessed, I followed it to the dock, and stopped, frowning. It was out at sea. How far, I couldn't tell, but I was stuck between the decision of following it, or letting it be.

"I suggest you follow it," A familiar voice said from above. I looked up to see Drifter lying on his stomach with his journal in hand, staring down at me as his chin was propped up on the hand not holding the journal.

"And why is that?" I demanded, pouting at him and folding my arms. Drifter grinned and shrugged.

"Have I ever led you wrong?" He laughingly asked, indicating…something with the hand holding the journal. I thought about that for a moment.

"Well, not so far…" I admitted, tapping my chin with a finger. "But there's always a first time!" Drifter gasped dramatically and rolled over, clutching his chest.

"You wound me, fair maiden!" He cried, thrashing around on his cloud. "I may die from your mistrust!" I laughed.

"You're already dead!" I shot at him. "Fine! If it means so much to you, I'll toss away my mistrust for now and follow the weird feeling! Happy?" Drifter immediately nodded and grinned, fading away.

"Be wary of the fact that first impressions aren't always who they truly are," Drifter warned before he completely disappeared. I sobered at that, and stared out at sea. Who, or what, was I going to meet out there? And should I have told someone I was leaving? I hesitated, and glanced back at the town where I could hear explosions of every kind, and then squared my shoulders. _I'm 422 years old_, I said to myself, _plenty old enough to take a small trip and tell everyone later. This is one of those find out now, or you won't later things, I'm guessing_.

With that, I flew out to sea, making sure to lock the Merry's position in the back of my head so that I could always find her again if need be. It was just a precaution, but I felt better knowing that I had it.

When I finally reached the weird feeling, I gaped at the large turtle thing that was swimming towards the island.

"Tio estas granda testudo!" I cried, flying around it to take it all in. There was also a seat attached to it, and a pretty lady on the seat. Curious, I perched myself in front of her and studied the woman. She was wearing purple leather (cowboy style) and a matching cowboy hat. Her eyes were blue, and she had shoulder length black hair. Acting on a whim, I decided to reveal myself.

"Boo." I said as I appeared, causing her to jump. Hands suddenly appeared out of the turtle beneath me, but they couldn't grab on (seeing as I was a ghost and all). "Well, _that_ was anticlimactic," I noted drily, crossing my arms as I watched the hands go blue and then disappear into little flower petals.

"What are you?" The lady asked, looking kind of spooked, though it was hidden by a well-prepared mask. I grinned at her.

"It's been a while since I got _that_ question! I'm Aave! Nice to meet you!" The lady blinked, and then hid a smile behind a hand.

"You do know your name means 'ghost', right?" She asked. My eyes widened as I stared at her.

"How did you know!?" I shouted, gaping at her. "I thought that it was a dead language only my island knew!" The lady blinked again, and seemed to become on guard.

"What island?" She snapped. I cringed a little. Her tone was kind of scary. "What island?" She demanded again.

"An island in the East Blue." I answered. "To be honest, I've forgotten what it's called. And besides, it's gone anyway."

"Buster?" The lady asked quickly. I felt a little mystified at all of the questions.

"No, that wasn't my island's name…it sunk over time so no one else would know either." There was a sigh of relief at my answer, and then she looked up at me.

"You thought only your island knew this dead language?" She prompted. I grinned.

"Yeah! Even my brother's name is in it! His name was Ihmisen!" I waited for her to decode my brother's name in her head.

"Human." She said finally, looking mystified. "Your parents named you 'Ghost' and your brother 'Human'."

"Yup! That was 422 years ago though, so I can't exactly ask them why they named me that…" I sighed, poking my two forefingers together gloomily. "I can't even remember my own last name. I think it starts with a 'T', or something that rhymes with it."

"I see," The lady said. "Well Ghost-san, I'm Nico Robin. Could you do me the favor of leaving?" I blinked.

Well, that was…rude. But, as Drifter said, first impressions may not be the best, right?

**1.** **Tio estas granda testudo: that's a big turtle**


	30. Chapter 30

**Ureshiitamago: Well, only been one week! I'm going strong!**

**Aave: You said that last time!**

**Ureshiitamago: Hahaha! Well, still going strong then!**

**Aave: Aaw, start the thankies already! Let's get on with it!**

**Ureshiitamago: Whatever you say, mademoiselle stuck-up!**

**Aave: WHAT DID YO-**

**Ureshiitamago:**

**We would like to thank; makford, wyyrd, Shiro-Sumi, sukikawazaki, Wh1spers, YomuHime, silentobservergirl, shadowrider89, and Yume2822 for following/favoriting this fic!**

**A special thanks to avatoa, Cupcake, black fox, ADDBaby, Momochan77, FlamingCatDemon13, and AC for reviewing!**

**And here's the response to guest reviews!**

**Cupcake: Here's the next chapter! Have fun!**

**Black fox: Yeah, I was kind of wondering how the meeting would go myself, but I guess I shouldn't have worried…Aave does have that certain something that makes people like her…even me, and she hates me…**

**AC: Good observation! Yes, Robin used her name…why? Hehhehheh! Only I know that~! There is some more interaction with Robin in this chapter!**

_ "__I see," The lady said. "Well Ghost-san, I'm Nico Robin. Could you do me the favor of leaving?" I blinked._

_Well, that was…rude. But, as Drifter said, first impressions may not be the best, right?_

**Chapter 30!: We are getting up in Ghostly years!**

I flew back to shore deep in thought. Nico Robin, who rides a turtle. A turtle.

"TURTLE!" I shouted, turning human and colliding with Zoro at the same time. He held onto his sake even though he shot backwards with me into the wall of the building that he was sitting on the roof of.

"AAVE, WHAT THE HECK!? I WAS ENJOYING MY VICTORY!" He shouted from his crumpled place under me.

"There are more important things that sour drinks that make your head fizzy!" I shouted back at him, snatching the sake from his hand and tossing it to the side. "There is a giant turtle riding woman out in the ocean!" There was a moment of silence where we stared at each other before Zoro let out a chuckle. I pouted at him as it turned into a laugh.

"Stop it! It's the truth! Right, Fairy Queen?" I looked to the side where Fairy Queen appeared, and nodded at me in conformation. "See?" I looked back at Zoro, who was still laughing, and shaking his head. After a moment, Zoro patted me on the head and stood up, dropping me onto the ground.

"You don't believe me, do you?" I sighed, flipping over to where he had sat back down, opening up another bottle of sake.

"Well…" He snorted and took a swig of the drink. "You have a tendency to try and prank me," he pointed out once he was done. I thought about that for a moment, and then nodded, granting that he was correct on that point.

"Yeah, a giant turtle riding woman seems like it's out there a little bit, isn't it?" I laughed, flopping down next to him and lying down on my back, looking up at the stars.

"Sure is. You're getting better at that," he noted, gesturing to me vaguely. I frowned up at him.

"Watcha mean?" I asked, kicking him in the face with a stockinged foot. Zoro grunted, and forced my hat farther down my head to cover my eyes. I giggled and kicked him again. "Answer me, or I shall Exterminate you!" I cried, making my voice sound robotic.

"I meant that you're getting better at going back and forth from human to ghost," Zoro explained as he wrestled me down so I couldn't kick him again. I was about to retaliate when we heard voices emanating from below. Letting me up, Zoro leaned slightly over the edge, still sipping at that bottle of sake. I fixed my hat and lay on my stomach next to him, swinging my legs in the air.

"That lady has lemons attached to her earlobes," I observed, pointing at the lemon-covered lady. "Doesn't that hurt? Or is she just crazy about lemons?"

"Who knows," Zoro shrugged, taking another drink from his sake.

"MR. FIVE! MS. VALENTINE!" Mr. Eight shouted from where he was sitting prone on the ground.

"I wonder if they color-code themselves." I mused, pointing at 'Mr. Five', who was standing next to lemon-lady.

"What are you fooling around for?" Mr. Nine asked, tilting his head threateningly at Mr. Eight.

"KYAHAHAHAHA!" laughed lemon-lady shrilly, making me wince. "What do you expect from someone of his rank?"

"Rude!" I grumbled, thumping the roof with my fist. "That lady is rude!"

"Did you come to laugh at us?" coughed Mr. Eight, struggling to rise.

"No, that's just a bonus." Smirked Mr. Nine.

"KYAHAHAHAHA!" lemon-lady laughed again, "we're here on official business, of course!" I rolled over and bumped into Zoro.

"Isn't that bulbous balloon thing down there Luffy?" I whispered to him, jabbing my finger in our captain's direction. Zoro choked lightly on his sake, and peered down at the sleeping Luffy.

"Ha ha ha," laughed Mr. Nine weakly, coming into consciousness. "Glad to hear it. With your help, we can easily take him." I figured he was talking about Zoro, who was still examining the position our captain was in.

"Yeah!" Ms. Wednesday wheezed. "Hurry up and finish the swordsman!" Yup, definitely Zoro.

"You _must_ be joking." Sneered Mr. Thinks-dreadlocks-are-cool.

"Help you?" Gods, lemon-lady's voice was shrill, "you think we came all the way to the Grand Line to do your dirty work? KYAHAHAHAHA!"

"Her laugh could awaken the dead," I muttered to Zoro, who was back to drinking his sake. "I should know, 'cause _I'm_ dead…" Zoro snorted and then cursed as sake apparently went up his nose.

"Don't _do_ that!" He hissed at me. "Just observe for now!" I frowned at him, and climbed into his lap to annoy him. Zoro muttered something under his breath, but was silent.

"Then why are you here?" Mr. Nine pleaded, staring at them confusedly.

"Don't you get it?" Mr. Wears-red-but-no-other-color asked, frowning at the three who were lying in front of him. "why would the boss send the two of us? The boss's exact words were, 'my secret is out'. Of course, I don't know what the secret is. Our organization's motto is 'mystery'. We never reveal the identity of any of our people. And especially not the boss's."

"In our investigation," lemon-lover-lady added, "we discovered that agents of a certain monarchy have infiltrated Baroque Works." At this, Mr. Nine shot up and frantically denied that he was royalty, just an imposter.

"Not you!" lemon-lady shot at him, glancing sideways at Ms. Wednesday. Behind Ms. Wednesday, a large duck quacked. I drew breath to say something, but was stopped by Zoro covering my mouth with his hand. I retaliated by giving his hand one big lick with my tongue, leaving behind as much saliva as I could. The swordsman cursed under his breath and wiped his hand on my shirt. I grinned at my victory and turned my attention back to the scene below.

"The spy is someone who's gone missing from the kingdom of Alabasta," announced Mr. Kills-any-chance-to-wear-other-colors. Before he could go any farther however, Mr. Eight suddenly stood up and shot bullets at the man from his hair.

"DIE!" the man shouted. "IGARAPPAPPA!"

"IGARAM!" shouted Ms. Wednesday.

"IGARAM?" copied Mr. Nine, looking thoroughly confused.

"RUN FOR IT!" Igaram shouted, "PLEASE!"

"She's floating," I observed to Zoro, watching the lemon-lady float out of the way of the bullets. "Like Mary Poppins, but not practically perfect in every way."

"It's no use!" lemon-lady cackled, descending upon Ms. Wednesday. "KYAHAHAHA!" With that, she kicked at the blue-nette, just narrowly missing her head and breaking the golden thing that held her hair up instead. Ms. Wednesday quickly flicked something at her opponent to make her back up.

"She's pretty with her hair down," I observed, wrestling with Zoro's boot, trying to get it off. Zoro was trying to keep it on by pulling on the top.

"Really?" Zoro grunted, pulling on the boot harder.

"Maybe we should get Luffy out of there," I suggested, leaping out of his lap suddenly and giggling as he fell backwards from the sudden loss of weight in his lap.

"The enemy agents are" I blinked in surprise and leaned over the edge of the roof, "Igaram, commander of the Royal Guard of the kingdom of Alabasta! And Nefertari Vivi!"

"Go get Luffy," I ordered Zoro, pointing at our captain with an expectant look on my face.

"Fine, fine," the swordsman muttered, dropping to the ground silently and trotting over to the bloated body of Luffy. Grabbing him by the foot, Zoro dragged him away to a safer place.

"Nice night, isn't it?" Someone asked from behind me. I looked over my shoulder, and grinned up at Nami.

"Hey there!" I greeted, ignoring the explosions going on below. "Yeah, it is! You can even see the stars!" Nami laughed and sat down next to me.

"What'd you find?" She asked, making me freeze. I had forgotten all about that.

"Um, I found a giant turtle riding woman out in the middle of the ocean," I offered, wincing at the scalding look she shot me.

"I meant something that was worth _beri_!" She hissed, reaching over and stretching my cheeks out and then letting them go with a snap. I pouted and shifted where I was lying down, glancing back at the scene below.

"Looks like Igaram is trying to make a deal with Zoro," I noted, pointing at the two I was talking about.

"Well, time for me to intervene," grinned Nami, and I winced at the Beri signs she had in her eyes. Really, that was _way_ too creepy.

"YOU'LL BE REWARDED HANDSOMELY!" Igaram was shouting, hanging onto Zoro's leg like it was a lifeline. "I BEG YOU! PLEASE! SAVE HER!"

"Just _how_ handsomely are we talking?" Nami piped up, crossing her legs and leaning on one hand. When the boys looked up at her, one in confusion, the other in dread, Nami went on. "We'll do it for a billion beri's." I sweatdropped at her extravagance, but didn't say anything, lest she explode at me.

"AAVE, YOU COULD HAVE SAID SOMETHING!" Zoro yelled, glaring at me in comical distress. I shrugged helplessly and made a gesture that translated to 'what can I do? She's _Nami_!'. Zoro groaned and folded his arms over his chest.

"A-A BILLION!?...AHEM! MI-MI-MI!" Igaram didn't sound like he particularly liked that idea. When Nami jumped down, I decided to follow, and jumped down too, landing on my feet and shooting over to Luffy, where I decided to treat his stomach like a trampoline.

"You must still be tipsy," Zoro groaned, shaking his head at her.

"Do you really think I'd get tipsy in a town that welcomed pirates?" Nami laughed, planting her hands on her hips. I did a frontwards flip. "Give me more credit than that." Igaram cleared his throat again, looking a little freaked out.

"That was all an act!" Nami added cheerily, "I can drink way more than that!"

"I feel sorry for your liver!" I piped up, initiating a backwards flip and landing perfectly again. "And yours," I added, looking at Zoro and sticking my tongue out at the two of them.

"You're so childish," Nami sighed.

"I _am_ a child!" I cried, jumping on Luffy's belly a few more times to gain height.

"I'm ignoring you now," Nami informed me, turning to Igaram, "Will you pay us a billion or not, chief? 'Cause without our help, it looks like your princess is gonna die!"

"Nami, you sound like one of the bad guys right now," I informed her with a sweatdrop.

"I AM BUT A HUMBLE SOLDIER!" Igaram protested, "I CANNOT POSSIBLE GUARANTEE SUCH A SUM!"

"What?" Nami gasped dramatically in disbelief, "Are you saying she isn't worth it?" I snorted and stopped bouncing on Luffy's belly, opting instead to lie down. "**Pay up!**"

"That's blackmail," Zoro tried to inform her. _She's not gonna listen, Zoro_, I thought with a sigh. Igaram tried to meet halfway.

"AHEM…WELL…IF YOU DELIVER THE PRINCESS SAFELY TO HER KINGDOM AND NEGOTIATE THE FEE WITH HER, THERE SHOULD BE NO PROBLEM!" He proposed. _Way to get around the Nami problem!_ I cheered inside my head, sitting up and grinning.

"You expect us to save her before getting the money?" Nami asked, looking like that was a most horrendous thing to ask of someone trying to blackmail you.

"THEY MAY BE KILLING HER HIGHNESS AS WE SPEAK!" Igaram tried, sensing a slight opening that he could take advantage of.

"Oh, all right," Nami relented, standing up and scratching the back of her head, "We'll save your princess first. ALL RIGHT! LET'S GO, ZORO!" She suddenly shouted, causing me to fall into a fit of giggles and Zoro to do a double-take.

"ARE YOU CRAZY!?" he shouted back. "Why should I go along with your silly money-making scheme?"

"He makes a valid point," I offered, turning myself back into a ghost in preparation for an oncoming fight.

"YOU'RE BOTH SO STUPID!" lamented Nami, turning to Zoro. "**The money's all mine, but the contract obligates the whole crew!**"

"WHAT KIND OF LOGIC IS THAT!?" Zoro yelled, growing shark teeth in his anger.

"The kind that she only pulls out when she has something over you," I informed him, sitting cross legged in the air. Nami grinned while Zoro just looked confused.

"Yeah, you owe me," Nami crooned, a triumphant look on her face.

"What?" Zoro snapped, crossing his arms, "no I don't."

"Remember the 100,000 beri's I lent you to buy a sword in Logue-town?" Nami pushed, mimicking Zoro and crossing her arms.

"I paid you back," Zoro protested, "Anyway, I got hat sword for free, so I didn't even need your money."

"Yeah, but you promised to pay me 300% interest-"

"That's 300,000 beri's," I calculated. "you owe her 200,000."

"WHAT?" Zoro shouted.

"No, he owes me 300,000," Nami corrected me, "the original amount doesn't count."

"WHAT!?" Zoro repeated, "I gave you back what I borrowed! Isn't that enough?" He tried.

"No." Nami snapped, then looked disappointed. "Aren't you going to keep your word?" There seemed to be an internal struggle going on inside of Zoro from the funny faces he was making. "If you help me, I'll forget your debt." Zoro stomped off.

"YOU'RE GONNA PAY IN THE AFTER-LIFE!" He shouted over his shoulder as he stomped away.

"I know," she said flippantly, "I'm going to blazes."

"That was dirty," I told her cheerfully. Nami grinned at me.

"You don't seem too bothered by it," She noted. I shrugged and clapped the bottoms of my feet together, noting that Luffy had gone.

"WE OWE YOU A GREAT DEBT!" Igaram suddenly shouted. Nami and I looked over at him. "If only I were stronger. Then I could protect my princess!"

"And you could do it without paying anything," I added, grinning as Nami went to smack me upside the head, but thought better of it at the last moment.

"It's alright," Nami said to Igaram with a grin, "Zoro's as strong as an ox!"

"Stronger than one," I added, remembering Zoro's workout sessions on the Merry.

"**If anything should happen to the princess,**" Igaram said as though he hadn't heard us, and maybe he hadn't. "**Our kingdom would crumble! She must live!**"

"I'm gonna go see where Luffy went," I informed Nami, already zooming off.

"Be safe," Nami called after me, rather uselessly. I hummed to myself as I flew, looking around for the signature straw-hat.

"Luuuuuffyyyyyyy," I called, cupping my hands around my mouth, "Come out come out wherever you aaaaaarrrrrreee!" I thought for a moment, and then added, "There's meat!"

"Where?" A voice said from behind me. I squeaked, and spun around. Behind me was Luffy, still bloated from pigging out.

"You're really still hungry?" I giggled, poking his stomach. Luffy huffed.

"No meat, then?" He asked, looking around.

"No, but Nami wants something," I informed him, following as he started waddling back to the house where he and the others were staying.

"I think I'll go back to sleep," He said. I sighed and rolled my eyes, following after him. I had nothing else to do, after all. Zoro was well equipped to take on both Mr. Dreadlocks and lemon-lady at once, so there was really no hurry. I was jerked to a stop when Luffy suddenly stopped in front of me and stared at some downed bounty-hunters for a moment.

"WHAT THE HECK!?" He shouted, waddling over to the unconscious body as fast as he could.

"That's a bounty-hunter, Luffy," I warned him worriedly, hovering around him as he squatted down to take a closer look.

"Wh-what happened?" Luffy cried, "Who did this!?"

"Zoro did, but they were trying to kill-"

"ZORO!" Luffy screamed, running off with surprising quickness in the direction of Zoro. I blinked. How in the hey did he know where Zoro was? Was it like a weird homing system?

"A homing Pidgeon," I decided, "That's what he is, a homing Pidgeon."

"I quite agree," a familiar voice said from behind me, laughing lightly.

"Nico Robin," I said as I turned around, tilting my head in curiosity. "Is that turtle of yours real?" The woman looked slightly surprised at my question, but covered it up quickly.

"Yes, he is." She answered. I punched a fist in the air in victory.

"Ha! Take _that_, you nonbelievers!" I shouted at the sky. Nico Robin laughed lightly again.

"So you really _don't _know me," She said after a moment. I blinked at her.

"You're a giant turtle riding woman," I said bluntly. "What else do I need to know?"

"From now on, call me Ms. All-Sunday." Nico Robin said abruptly, walking away from me and towards the docks. I frowned.

"WELL IT'S A NICE NIGHT TO YOU TOO!" I shouted at her back. A hand sprouted out of a nearby wall and waved at me before disappearing in a shower of flower petals. I huffed and decided to follow the sounds of explosions. When I finally arrived, I had drawn up behind the princess and the duck. Zoro and Luffy had just sent Mr. Dreadlocks and lemon-lady flying into two buildings like it was nothing.

"Incredible!" the princess breathed, unaware that I was just behind her. "What strength! Who would have thought that men like these would still be found at the start of the Grand Line!"

"They're strong, aren't they." I said with a grin. The princess and her duck whipped around, battle ready, only to take in my transparency and the fact that I was floating two feet above the ground and scream.

"NO, NO, I'M NOT A BAD PERSON! I MEAN GHOST! NO SCREAMING PLEASE!" I shouted above their freak-out. Once they had settled down, there was only the sound of Luffy and Zoro fighting each other.

"I can turn into a human if that makes you feel any better," I offered, clasping my hands behind my back. The princess looked at me for a moment before slowly smiling.

"You're on the crew with them," She said, sounding way less mean than she had a day ago, "I remember you now," I laughed.

"It's not often that people forget about me being a ghost!" I said cheerily, waving to the duck, who hesitantly waved back. "Who's the duck?" I asked, pointing at the overly large animal. The princess smiled at me again.

"His name is Karoo," she informed me, patting her duck's head. "He's been with me since we were both small."

"Wow, that's dociousaliexpiisticfragicalirepus!" I said with a large grin, ignoring the sweatdrop that had appeared on both the princess's and Karoo's heads as the word went on for longer than they had thought it would. "Hey, Nami's here!" I said, pointing over at Zoro and Luffy, who were still fighting until said Navigator's fists collided with their faces, sending them to the ground, twitching.

"Just what do you two think you're doing?" She scolded them, frowning at their downed forms. "Well, the girl's okay, that's the main thing."

"She's a princess!" I called to Nami, who waved her hand at me.

"I know, and these two could have COST ME A BILLION BERI'S!" With that, she hoisted Luffy and Zoro up by their lapels and smiled winningly at the princess.

"What do you mean?" The princess asked, looking utterly confused. "why are you helping me?"

"She likes money," I muttered, wincing when Nami flashed a glare in my direction.

"We have business to discuss," Nami said sweetly, as though the two boys in her grasp weren't still fighting each other. "What say we negotiate?"

"Negotiate?" the princess repeated. Before Nami answered, she knocked Luffy and Zoro to the ground again.

"STOP FIGHTING!" she ordered. I tugged on the princess's coat.

"Hey, what's your name? I forgot, and I can't keep calling you 'the princess', the readers will kill ureshiitamago." I sighed, rolling my eyes at the very idea.

"Wh-what? Who?...Vivi, my name's Vivi." Vivi said, seemingly deciding to think about what I had said some other time.

"Thank you!" I chirped, flying over to where Luffy and Zoro were lying on the ground, defeated. "Well, we now know who the strongest person on the crew is," I joked, poking Luffy's cheek. He and Zoro grumbled for a moment before I was tackled by Luffy, and he started to tickle me. I held out for only a few seconds before I was giggling helplessly and writhing around, trying to escape from his clutches.

"NOoooooooo!" I giggled, clawing at the ground. "Uncle!" I called finally, "Uncle!" Luffy let go and instead scooped me up and sat on a barrel, placing me in his lap.

"Hey, Luffy." Zoro said as he sat against a crate, "those people I fought were bounty-hunters and wanted to kill us," Luffy stared at the swordsman for a moment before bursting out in laughter.

"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Well, why didn't you say so!?" He laughed, "I thought you got mad and beat everyone up 'cause they didn't have a dish you wanted!"

"THAT'S SOMETHING _YOU_ WOULD DO!" Zoro snapped, sending Luffy into another fit of giggles.

"Oh well!" Luffy said, "Don't be mad!"

"Mad means crazy," I informed them. "Don't be _angry_."

"Crazy?" Luffy questioned. I nodded, suddenly got an idea, and grinned sharkishly. Zoro tried to sink farther into the crate he was leaning against.

"Crazy?" I repeated, "I was crazy once! They put me in a room. A rubber room. A rubber room with rats. Rubber rats! Rubber rats drive me crazy. Crazy? I was crazy once! They put me in a room. A rubber room. A rubber room with rats. Rubber rats! Rubber rats drive me crazy. Crazy? I was crazy once! They put me in a room. A rubber room. A rubber room with rats. Rubber rats! Rubber rats drive me crazy. Crazy? I was crazy once! They put me in a room. A rubber room. A rubber room with rats. Rubber rats! Rubber rats drive me crazy. Crazy? I was crazy once! They put me in a room. A rubber room. A rubber room with rats. Rubber rats! Rubber rats drive me crazy. Crazy? I was crazy once! They put me in a room. A rubber room. A rubber room with rats. Rubber rats! Rubber rats drive me crazy. Crazy? I was crazy once! They put me in a room. A rubber room. A rubber room with rats. Rubber rats! Rubber rats drive me crazy. Cra-" I was cut off by Nami's ultimate glare of death.

"NAMI'S ULTIMATE GLARE OF DEATH IS EXTREMELY EFFECTIVE! AAVE RECEIVES +200 DAMAGE!" I cried, flailing around in Luffy's lap like I had been hit.

"You were saying before you were so rudely interrupted?" Nami pressed. Vivi sweatdropped before adopting a serious face.

"A billion beri's is impossible," she repeated. "But I'm very grateful to you for having saved my life. Thank you."

"But why?" Nami whined, "You're a princess, aren't you? What's a billion beri's to you?"

"What do you know about Alabasta?" Vivi asked instead of giving an explination.

"Desert island," I supplied. "That's all I know." Vivi nodded.

"Never heard of it," Nami admitted.

"Alabasta was once the most civilized nation on the Grand Line, and the most peaceful, at one time." Vivi informed us.

"At one time?" Asked Nami. The atmosphere grew serious.

"The citizens of Alabasta have grown rebellious in recent years," Vivi sighed, "Riots and uprisings have thrown the kingdom into turmoil. Then one day, I learned of a secret organization called Baroque Works."

"What's so secret about it if you heard of it?" I wondered, feeling a little confused.

"I'm getting to that part," Vivi said, though not unkindly, "The rumor was that agents of Baroque Works had been stirring up the citizens. But try as I might, I couldn't uncover information that would help us fight these criminals. So I went to Igaram, who has looked after me since I was a child…"

"The guy with the giant rollers?" Questioned Luffy.

"Yes," I answered for Vivi.

"I hoped to find the source of the rumors," Vivi went on, "and infiltrate Baroque Works. I could then find out who was pulling the strings and learn his intentions."

"You're pretty brave for a princess," Zoro complemented. I felt like someone was watching us, so I smiled and nodded while at the same time made myself invisible to everyone but Karoo, Vivi, and the crew.

"I agree!" I cheered.

"But isn't the goal of Baroque Works to create an ideal country?" Nami questioned. "Then, why would…?"

"The boss deceives his minions with talk of an ideal country," explained Vivi with a little venom, "The true aim of Baroque Works is the conquest of Alabasta! I've got to return to my land and stop the rebellion before my people throw themselves into Baroque Work's clutches!"

"That's a lot of work," I observed, braiding a part of my hair.

"It's worth it," Vivi said.

"So that's how it is," Nami sighed. "I'm starting to get the picture. With your country in chaos, there's no money to be made there."

"You always think about money…" I groaned, pulling the braid apart and starting again.

"Why wouldn't I?" Nami demanded.

"Who's pulling the strings?" Luffy asked Vivi.

"I CAN'T TELL YOU THE BOSS'S IDENTITY!" Vivi suddenly shouted. "WHAT A QUESTION! DON'T ASK ME THAT! I CAN'T! I CAN'T TELL YOU! **If I did, they'd hunt you down too!**"

"Luke, I have a bad feeling about this," I sighed, throwing the finished braid over my shoulder.

"Stop it," Nami said, "That's okay," She turned to Vivi, "Don't tell us. I mean, if he wants to take over a kingdom, he must be one scary guy!"

"That he is," Vivi said gravely. "you're very strong, but you're no match for Sir Crocodile, one of the seven warlords of the sea!"

"RIEHIEHIEHIEHIEHIEHIEHIE!" I laughed, kicking my feet in the air while I still sat in Luffy's lap. "YOU JUST SAID IT!" Nami and Vivi looked horrified, and then there was a simultaneous pause where we all just turned around and looked up to see an otter and a vulture staring down at us. There was a pregnant pause, and then the otter and vulture looked at each other, nodded, and flew off.

"THE BIRD AND THE OTTER!" Nami screamed, shaking Vivi while crying. "WHO ARE THEY!? ARE THEY GOING TO REPORT THAT YOU JUST TOLD US THE SECRET!? WELL!?" I giggled, shaking my head at her antics.

"Hear that?" Luffy asked Zoro. "One of the seven warlords!"  
"This should be fun!" Agreed Zoro.

"Well, now they know!" I said cheerily.

"I'm sorry!" Vivi bawled, "It slipped out!"

"SLIPPED OUT!?" Nami screeched, "NOW THOSE CREEPS WILL BE AFTER US TOO! We finally reach the Grand Line and we're already wanted by the seven warlords of the sea! This is too much!"

"We're lucky!" Zoro said excitedly, "We'll get to meet him soon!"

"Yeah!" I cheered, "beat his butt!"

"I wonder what he's like," Luffy grinned.

"YOU THREE, SHUT UP!" Nami ordered, clearly at her limit. "It was a brief partnership while it lasted," she lamented, walking away. "I'm out of here!"

"Hey Nami, where are you going?" Luffy called after her.

"He has no idea what I look like!" Nami shouted over her shoulder, "I'm getting away from here!"

"They'll sketch pictures of you!" I added, though I thought it was a joke. Luffy and I shrugged at each other, and watched as Nami halted. Lo and behold, there was the otter and vulture. The otter had a sketchbook out and was scratching away busily. Once it was done, it flipped the book around and showed off pictures of Nami, Luffy, and Zoro, done to perfection. Nami started clapping.

"Wow, you're good!" She complemented, and then immediately turned around and started walking back towards us. "NOW THERE'S NOWHERE LEFT TO RUN!" She screamed.

"Funny, isn't she?" Luffy commented.

"Yup!" I agreed.

"Where were you planning to run to, anyway?" Zoro asked her, "and why wasn't your picture in there too, Aave?"

"I'm invisible to everyone but you guys," I explained.

"Hmmm…Well, I guess that means that only three of us are on Baroque Work's hit list now!" Zoro grinned, looking like he was ready for the upcoming battles.

"It's kinda exciting!" Luffy said with a laugh.

"Agreed!" I shouted, pumping my fist in the air. "Let us pound them to the dust!" Luffy cheered with me.

"FEAR NOT!" A manly shout came from behind us. We looked around to see Igaram in drag.

"Can I gouge my eyes out real quick?" I groaned, burying them in Luffy's shoulder.

"Everything is under control!" Igaram went on as Luffy patted my shoulder consolingly. "I have a plan!"

"Igaram!" I heard Vivi gasp, "Why are you dressed like that?"

"Wow!" Luffy laughed, still patting my shoulder. "You look good mister! Really!" He stood up off the barrel and carried me with him. Nami muttered something depressing sounding somewhere to my left.

"Now listen carefully," Igaram said. His voice was much louder. "Now that you're wanted by Baroque Works, they'll send someone right away. Especially since you beat Mr. Five and his partner! There's something else you should know. Right now, there's no bounty on the boss, even though he's one of the seven warlords of the sea. But Sir Crocodile once had a bounty of 80 million Beri's on his head." There was a moment of silence as we all took that in.

"By the way," Igaram added, "about escorting Princess Vivi to Alabasta…"

"Huh?" Luffy asked, "What're you talking about?" I had forgotten that he had been sleeping for that particular bit of conversation.

"He wants us to take her home," Zoro explained.

"Oh. Is that the deal?" Luffy laughed, "okay."

"EIGHTY MILLION!?" Nami screamed, "THAT'S FOUR TIMES WHAT ARLONG WAS WORTH! TURN IT DOWN!" Still burying my head in Luffy's shoulder, I heard rather than saw Igaram walk in the direction of Vivi's voice.

"Princess, please give me the Eternal Pose of Alabasta." Igaram said.

"Eternal Pose?" I mumbled into Luffy's shoulder.

"Huh?" Nami said, "Eternal Pose? What's that?"

"What, you don't know?" Igaram asked, sounding a little shocked. "Simply put, it's a permanent Log Pose. A normal Log Pose guides you from one island to the next along the Grand Line, but the Eternal Pose remembers one location forever. No matter where you go, it always points to the same island. This is our Eternal pose," I decided that satisfying my curiosity was worth more than my vision, and looked up. It looked like an hourglass, but instead of an hourglass shape inside the wooden holder, it was a Log Pose.

"The magnetic coordinates of Alabasta are recorded in it," Igaram finished his explanation and turned back to Vivi. "Princess Vivi, I've disguised myself as you. I'm going to set out for Alabasta with dummies of these four. While I divert Baroque Works' attention, you must go with these people on their ship and return to Alabasta by the usual route. I've never gone that way, but Alabasta should be only two or three Log Pose stops from here. May we meet again in our homeland."

The six of us headed to the docks. There was little talk as we all digested the information that had reared its head in the last hour. When we arrived, Igaram turned to talk to us once again.

"Please, take care of the Princess," He requested.

"Mister, that outfit really looks great!" Luffy said for an answer.

"Have a positively spiffing time!" I bid him in my most British accent.

"Princess," Igaram said, turning to Vivi, "it may be a difficult journey. Please be careful."

"You too," Vivi answered warmly, shaking his hand. After a few more goodbyes, Igaram boarded his ship and set off.

"He's gone," cheered Luffy, "That guy was a laugh to the very end."

"I hope he makes it!" I said, clinging to Luffy's back.

"He may not look it, but he's very reliable," Vivi laughed, and we turned to walk back to the ship.

**_BOOM!_**

I turned to look over my shoulder.

"THE SEA IS ON FIRE!"


	31. Chapter 31

**Ureshiitamago: I am not going to apologize. The thing is, I thought that I would update before now. All I can say is this; Senior year is a pain. There's a lot of stuff you have to do to get ready for college, and it didn't help that the musical was moved to the spring instead of the fall. That means that I have to focus more in school. So yeah, don't expect regular updates until April or May. **

**Aave: I forgive you this time.**

**Ureshiitamago: Thank you. Here are the thankies!**

**We would like to thank; cloboyd, 22wolfgirl, Devil-O-Angel, S3rp3nte, TheDemonFoxHiddenWithin, AlejandraLora, Firehart, calicat197, dreamwalkerlisa, MiyukiNoMai, lune-de-bleu, kingmims90, , Rubilax73, Brie45, AlphaWolf665, Tai-Ookami, The Eternal Forgotten, Sayonara Yasashii Akumu, Akiko Uzumaki, sweedflicka, PockySnow, Haibara2780, Kororo-pudding, and Wizle for following/favoriting this fic!**

**And a special thanks to Momochan77, ADDBaby, FlamingCatDemon13, rgss, Cupcake, AC, kiroroblue, and chaosrin for reviewing! **

**Here's the responses to guest reviews:**

**Cupcake: whoa there, that's a lot. I'll update when I have time, which – because I'm kind of busy during the school year – is not very often. **

**AC: You always write such long reviews with pertinent questions! I love it, thank you. Yeah, Aave tends to break the fourth wall a lot. It's a problem we're working on. Answers to your questions; 1. You'll see and…you'll see! (that's a maybe, by the way ;)) 2. Aave's Jolly Roger…well, the crossbones would be Bearetta, and it would be wearing her hat. Also, it would be a shimmery flag that looks invisible if you look at it the right way. 3. Well, I can't really say because I haven't thought about that…I'll think about it and add that as an omake at some point.**

**Aave: Well, I think 13k words should make up for this…absence.**

**Ureshiitamago: Slave driver…**

_ "__He may not look it, but he's very reliable," Vivi laughed, and we turned to walk back to the ship._

**BOOM!**

_I turned to look over my shoulder._

_ "__THE SEA IS ON FIRE!" _

**Chapter 31: Ghosts and Giants**

"It can't be!" Nami shouted, staring in shock and horror at the flaming sea, "They got to him already?!"

"NO WAY!" I shouted, clutching onto Luffy's neck harder, "IT'S WAY TOO SOON FOR THAT TO HAPPEN!" I felt the dull twinge of shock rush through me at the thought. Yes, Igaram's way of dress had probably scarred me for life, but that didn't mean that I wanted him _dead_!

"I LIKED THAT GUY!" Luffy shouted at the sea before storming off towards our ship.

"Nami, how's the Log Pose?" Zoro demanded as he started rushing away with us. I couldn't hear Nami's reply because we were too far away at that time, but Zoro nodding to her and then running to catch up with us gave me the impression that it was set.

"Luffy, Aave, wake the other two!" Zoro ordered once he was close enough to be heard, "I'll go to the ship!"

"All right," Luffy replied, "We'll get 'em!"

"Permission to do whatever I want to get them up, mia kapintano?" I asked Luffy, pulling on a lock of his hair to get his attention.

"Yeah, sure!" Luffy said as we split off from Zoro and headed back into town.

"Hurry up, then!" I shouted, standing up while clinging onto his shoulders. "Faster, faster!"

When we finally arrived at the house where Usopp and Sanji were still passed out, I slid off of Luffy's back and glided over to them, giggling madly.

"Maybe I shouldn't have allowed you to do this," Luffy said with a sweatdrop running down his head. I cackled in response and levitated two giant open barrels of ice water over their bodies.

"That wouldn't be very fun, though!" I chortled, allowing the wood and metal to disappear, leaving only the water to fall onto Usopp and Sanji. Once the two stopped screaming, Luffy grabbed Usopp by the nose, and Sanji by the foot, and ran out of the building at top speed.

"WAIT UP, LUFFY!" I shouted, shooting after them through the wall and several other buildings before finally catching up. Usopp and Sanji were both passed out again, but this time it was from Luffy dragging them across town without care to whether or not they were in pain.

"WE GOT 'EM!" Luffy shouted up at Zoro, who was just finishing weighing anchor.

"Get aboard," Zoro said, barely glancing at us, "we're ready to sail."

"Uh oh," Luffy exclaimed as he looked back at the two passed out pirates he had been dragging, "They went back to sleep!"

"Do you think they'll have concussions when they wake up?" I wondered aloud as we headed towards the ship, "_If _they wake up?"

"Why would they have concessions?" Luffy asked, flinging them over the railing onto the deck.

"_Concussion_, and they would have it because of those big bumps that they got when you threw them onto the ship," I informed him as we jumped onto the deck ourselves.

"What's a concussion?" Luffy asked as a shout was heard near the bow of the ship.

"…never mind," I said flippantly, heading to the bow where the scream had come from.

"BUT I CAN'T LEAVE HIM HERE!" Vivi was shouting at Nami.

"NO, WE HAVE TO LEAVE HIM HERE!" I shouted, waving my arms wildly. "OTHERWISE WE SHALL PERISH FROM AN EVEN NUMBER OF PEOPLE!"

"What?" Zoro asked, a little bewildered.

"In Queen Margareta's homeland of Ifnargal, the number eight is bad luck to bodies of water," I explained, earning an odd look from him and the two girls standing on the docks below.

"I will _not_ leave without Karoo!" Vivi cried adamantly, flinging her arms out.

"You mean him?" Zoro asked, jerking his thumb in the direction of the duck that I hadn't seen before.

"Hey, ducky!" I said cheerily, waving at the oversized water-fowl.

"THERE YOU ARE!" Nami and Vivi shrieked, looking a little incensed at the fact that he had gotten there ahead of them.

"He was on board when I got here," Zoro said by way of explanation.

"Well, better hurry on," I called down to them, leaning through the railing, "If you're the last one on, something bad will happen!" Nami and Vivi looked at each other and shrugged, disregarding my warning and hurrying up the ladder in an unhurried manner. Nami was the last one up.

"Wear this necklace of wheat so that nothing bad will happen," I told her, holding out a braided necklace of wheat to her. Nami rolled her eyes, but took it from me and slipped it over her head anyways. I decided that she was humoring me, but hopefully she kept it on. Margareta had told me some scary stories about people who hadn't abided by that rule.

"Sail the ship upriver," Vivi ordered once we were underway, "We can catch the current a little farther up. That'll put us on course faster, at least!" I, along with Zoro, manned the sails and turned ourselves in the direction of the river. Once we were sailing down it, we convened on the deck for a quick meeting.

"I wonder how many agents they'll send after us," Luffy pondered, standing on the railing.

"I don't know," Vivi replied, looking a little worried, "Baroque Works has about 2,000 members, and I've heard that there are other towns like Whisky Peak in these waters."

"That's a lot of human units," I noted.

"We could have a thousand of them after us!" Nami said shrilly.

"It is possible that they'd send that many to keep the boss's identity a secret," Vivi agreed.

"Or maybe only one," I suggested, thinking back on the weird woman who had told me her name and then insisted on calling her by another.

"Why would they only send _one_?" Nami demanded, turning towards me with a slight frown.

"Maybe that one person is uber strong, and they will use their powers to annihilate us to tiny bits?" I answered with a shrug.

"Well, I-" Nami's response was cut off by Sanji and Usopp finally waking up. I sweatdropped as they ranted about how nice the people were, and then laughed as Nami beat them up to make them shut up.

"There's fog ahead," Someone announced, "It's almost morning." I looked around for the owner of the voice, but to no avail. "Be careful not to run up on the rocks," the person said in a sing-song voice, "I'm so glad you managed to escape." I blinked as I recognized the voice, and looked up at the railing that was in front of the kitchen.

There, sitting on said railing, was Nico Robin, or as she told me to call her, Ms. All Sunday.

"There's the one person I was talking about!" I said, waving at Nami and then pointing at Ms. All Sunday.

"Nice ship," She complimented, languidly looking around for a moment. Then, after a moments pause, she turned her attention to Vivi, and suddenly her gaze was menacing, only made more so by the small smile that seemed permanently etched onto her face.

"I met your friend Mr. Eight earlier, Ms. Wednesday."

"Did you…kill Igaram?" Vivi gasped, glaring slightly up at Ms. All Sunday.

"Forget about that!" Luffy shouted, "How did you get on the ship!?"

"**WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE, MS. ALL SUNDAY!?**" Vivi shouted over Luffy's shouting.

"What now?" Nami sputtered, looking back and forth between Vivi and Ms. All Sunday, "Is she Mr. What's-his-number's partner?"

"It's Mr. Zero, Nami," I informed her, "Geez, get it right!"

"I didn't ask you!" Nami shot back at me. I pretended to be hurt.

"She's Mr. Zero's partner!" Vivi confirmed, "She was the only one who knew the boss's true identity, so we followed her and found out who the boss was!"

"Actually," Ms. All Sunday interrupted her, "I let you follow me."

"That was nice," Luffy commented. I made a face and planted myself on his back for a free piggy-back ride.

"YOU KNEW THAT!" Vivi shouted at Ms. Who-until-recently-was-called-Nico-Robin. "BUT THEN YOU TOLD THE BOSS THAT WE'D LEARNED HIS TRUE IDENTITY!"

"Saboteur!" I called, shaking my fist in the air.

"That _wasn't_ nice!" Luffy commented again, pouting a little and looking up at Ms. Used-to-be-Robin.

"JUST WHAT DO YOU WANT!?" Vivi demanded, looking like she was on the verge of seriously harming the other woman.

"I was curious," Ms. Changed-her-name admitted, "You seemed to earnest, I just had to help you. A princess declaring war on Baroque Works to save her country. How _pathetic_." There were weapons pointed at Ms. All Sunday instantly as Vivi had an internal struggle.

"DON'T UNDERESTIMATE US!" She finally shouted, then stared up in shock at Sanji, who was pointing a gun at Ms. All Sunday's head. I gaped at the sight. Sanji, _woman-lover Sanji_, was freakin' pointing a _gun_ at a _woman's_ head. What.

"Am I hallucinating this?" I whispered in Luffy's ear. It was certainly plausible, seeing as Queen Margareta and Fairy Queen were really no more then hallucinations themselves.

"No, I'm seeing it too," Luffy whispered back, staying in the ready position for fighting. It was – predictably – Usopp who voiced the question all of us were wondering.

"Hey," Usopp said shakily as he pointed his slingshot at Ms. All Sunday's head, "you know what you're doing, right?"

"Not really," Sanji admitted with a wince, "but it looked like my beloved Ms. Wednesday was in danger!" _There_ was regular Sanji. There was a moment of silence before I saw hands appear unobtrusively between Usopp and Sanji's legs. I looked around and noticed that no one had seen them.

"Don't point those things at me. It's dangerous," Ms. All Sunday said as the hands launched Sanji and Usopp over the railing and then quickly disappeared. There were immediate exclamations of surprise, and then Nami and Zoro's weapons were also swatted out of their hands.

"She has Devil's Fruit powers!" Zoro gasped, holding his arm where he had just been slapped. "What kind of power is this!?" I blinked, looking bemused at the small palm and lips that had appeared on the back of Luffy's vest. The hand pressed one finger against the smiling lips, and then they vanished. I scratched my head and shrugged. She didn't feel like she wanted to cause harm…among the immediate company, at least.

"Hey!" Sanji suddenly shouted as he got a good look at her, "She's beautiful!" I rolled my eyes and threw a water balloon at him, which hit its mark right on. Sanji frowned at me good-naturedly, and then turned his attention back to Ms. All Sunday. I turned around just in time to see a hand attempt to grab Luffy's hat off of his head. I slapped it forcefully, and slapped my other hand down on top of his hat, forcing it back onto his head from where it was lifting off.

"Don't touch the hat!" I called up to her, "Only I am allowed to attempt to steal the hat!"

"YOU TRIED TO TAKE MY HAT!?" Luffy shouted, suddenly enraged, "THAT'S PICKING A FIGHT!"

"YOU'RE OUR ENEMY!" Usopp added from his hiding spot behind the main mast, "NOW GET LOST!"

"What rotten luck, Captain Monkey D. Luffy of the Strawhat pirates," Ms. All Sunday quipped, tapping her fingers against the railing, "You're being hunted by Baroque Works just because you befriended a princess." I slapped a hand as it made another go for Luffy's hat, and watched in interest as she winced slightly. So what happened to the limb transferred to the original. Good to know.

"And you, princess," Ms. All Sunday hummed, turning her attention to Vivi instead, "Your only protection is a bunch of pirates. But the worst luck of all, is where your Log Pose is sending you! You're heading for a place called Little Garden. I guess we needn't bother killing you after all. You'll never reach Alabasta, or see Sir Crocodile's face."

"WE'LL SHOW YOU!" Luffy shouted determinedly. I cheered my support of that.

"Anyone can stand around and yell," Ms. All Sunday observed, tossing something to Vivi, who just narrowly caught it. "But to sail knowingly into danger is just silly."

"It's the Eternal Pose!" Vivi gasped, and it was. Well, it was _an_ Eternal Pose, but not the one that Igaram had taken with him onto the boat.

"You'll be able to bypass difficulty with that," Ms. All Sunday explained, "It points to the Island of Nothing, which is one stop before Alabasta. It's a route that even our agents don't know about, so no one will follow you."

"Wait, is she one of the good guys?" Nami asked.

"Why would you give us this!?" Vivi demanded.

"It's probably a trap," Zoro warned, raising an eyebrow. Ms. All Sunday just smiled mysteriously. She was very mysterious, come to think of it.

"Who knows?" She asked. Vivi lowered her eyes and bit her bottom lip, thinking about something. Luffy, without any hesitation whatsoever, reached over and grabbed it out of her hand.

"Who needs that thing?" he growled, and then smashed it to pieces in his hand.

"ARE YOU CRAZY!?" Nami screamed, kicking him on the side of the face and sending the both of us onto our backs. I squeaked a little as the 'breath' was pushed out of me when Luffy landed. Immediately, Luffy sat back up and muttered an apology, which I quickly accepted.

"SHE JUST GAVE US AN EASY ROUTE!" Nami admonished him, "WHAT IF SHE WAS REALLY TRYING TO HELP US!?"

"**She's not deciding what course we take!**" Luffy admonished right back. I could feel the tone of captain in his voice, which immediately decided the issue, even though Nami still looked a little bit red in the face.

"I see," Ms. All Sunday said with a glint in her eye, "that's too bad." Nami let out a peeved exclamation and stomped away from us.

"I don't like her," Luffy explained, hiking me farther up his back as he stood up, "she blew up the guy with the rollers."

"Nami, what happened to your necklace?" I asked the navigator, who looked confused for a moment before patting around her neck and then searching the area around her.

"I'll just take this," Ms. All Sunday said, twirling the lost necklace around her finger. "I don't have a problem with forceful men," she directed at Luffy, "we'll meet again, if you survive."

"I hope not," Luffy muttered.

"_So long, farewell, auf wiedersehen, goodnight! I hate to go and miss this pretty sight!_" I sang, waving at Ms. All Sunday as she jumped from the Merry to the giant turtle.

"Let's go, Bunchi." Ms. All Sunday said, and the turtle snorted, turning away from our ship and heading to open waters.

"WOW!" Luffy shouted, "A TURTLE!"

"I guess you were telling the truth back there, then," Zoro said, walking up behind Luffy and I. I grinned at him.

"Since when have I told a lie?" I asked him jokingly. "Tall truths, maybe. But lies?" I shook my head. "Never." Zoro drew breath to reply, thought for a moment, and then reluctantly closed his mouth and nodded his head.

"It's a big one," Luffy added. I giggled at his indifference and climbed up to sit on his shoulders.

"Argh!" I looked over my shoulder to see Vivi collapse onto the deck and hold her head in one of her hands. "I wish I knew what her game was!"

"Well, there's no use worrying about it!"

"Says the navigator who was worrying about not a few minutes ago!" I sang, laughing as I allowed the random rock she threw to pass through my head.

"Yeah, scheming women are really our forte around here," Zoro added with a laugh, dodging his own rock.

"Hey, what's going on?" Usopp demanded, looking a little spooked. "I don't get any of this!"

"Ms. Wednesday, are you really one of us?" Nami questioned Vivi, ignoring Usopp's cries expertly.

"I…I'm not sure I should be here," Vivi hedged, staring down at the deck guiltily, "I'm putting you all in danger," she continued in a small voice.

"What are you saying?" Nami huffed, walking over to Vivi imperiously and crouching down so that they were eye to eye. Once they were level, she stabbed Vivi on the forehead with her forefinger. "It's your fault they're after us! If you didn't want to endanger us, you shouldn't have told us the boss's identity!"

"I said I was sorry," Vivi snapped back.

"Right, Luffy!?" Nami called up to us. Luffy had turned around at this point, so I didn't have to crane my neck.

"IT'S MORNING!" Luffy shouted, pumping a fist in the air, "SANJI, TIME FOR BREAKFAST!" I laughed and cheered with him.

"Aave-chan, you're eating, right?" Sanji called up to me. I thought about it for a moment before shaking my head.

"Someone has to be lookout, right!?" I called back, rising from Luffy's shoulders and heading up to the crow's nest.

"I'll send up some toast!" Sanji called after me. I rolled my eyes and sighed. Really, Sanji shouldn't have felt the need to feed me, I was a _ghost_ for chicken's sake!

"You got that?" Sanji called again, this time from the kitchen door.

"Otay dotay!" I shouted, poking my head up over the top of the nest. As the others went inside to have breakfast, I started to sing a tune that I knew would bother everyone except for Luffy, who was weirdly immune to my inability to carry a tune whatsoever.

**Lonely Goatherd**

_High on a hill was a lonely goatherd,_

_Lay ee odl lay ee odl lay hee hoo,_

_Loud was the voice of the lonely goatherd,_

_Lay ee odl lay ee odl-oo!_

_Folks in a town that was quite remote heard_

_Lay ee odl lay ee odl lay hee hoo,_

_Lusty and clear from the goatherd's throat heard_

_Lay ee odl lay ee odl-oo!_

_O ho, lay dee odl lee o, o ho, lay dee odl ay,_

_O ho, lay dee odl lee o, lay dee odl lee o lay!_

_A prince on the bridge of a castle moat heard,_

_Lay ee odl lay ee odl lay hee hoo,_

_Men on a road with a load to tote heard_

_Lay ee odl lay ee odl-oo!_

_Men in the midst of a table d'hote heard_

_Lay ee odl lay ee odl lay hee hoo,_

_Men drinking beer with the foam afloat heard_

_Lay ee odl lay ee odl-oo!_

_One little girl in a pale pink coat heard_

_Lay ee odl lay ee odl lay hee hoo,_

_She yodeled back to the lonely goatherd,_

_Lay ee odl lay ee odl-oo!_

_Soon her Mama with a gleaming gloat heard,_

_Lay ee odl lay ee odl lay hee hoo,_

_What a duet for a girl and goatherd_

_Lay ee odl lay ee odl-oo!_

_Ummm…_

_Odl lay ee,_

_Odl lay hee hee,_

_Odl lay eeeeeee._

I paused for a moment and frowned, skipping past the yodeling and to the next verse.

_One little girl in a pale pink coat heard_

_Lay ee odl lay ee odl lay hee hoo,_

_She yodeled back to the lonely goatherd_

_Lay ee odl lay ee odl-oo!_

_Soon her mama with a gleaming gloat heard_

_Lay ee odl lay ee odl lay hmm hmm_

_What a duet for a girl and goatherd_

_Lay ee odl lay ee odl-oo!_

_Happy are they lay dee olay dee lee o._

_Soon the duet will become a trio_

_Lay ee odl lay ee odl-oo!  
odl lay ee, odl lay ee_

_Odl lay hee hee, odl lay ee_

_Odl lay odl lay, odl lay odl lee, odl lay odl lee_

_Odl lay odl lay odl lay_

_HOO!_

The next day, I was floating down on the deck with Luffy, Zoro, Usopp, and Karoo while Nami and Vivi talked to each other by the kitchen door, and Sanji made ice cold drinks in the kitchen.

"_Yo ho, yo ho, a pirates life for me!_" I sang as I braided a portion of Usopp's hair.

"Stop singing, please," Usopp said with a shudder, covering his ears, "hearing you hit all the wrong notes every time makes my ears bleed, see?" He uncovered his hands to reveal red liquid dripping from his ears. I leaned down and sniffed the liquid.

"That's catsup," I accused, dabbing it onto a finger and then wiping it across his cheek.

"EW!" Usopp shouted, jumping up from the chair, "DON'T DO THAT!" I planted my hands on my hips.

"Well, _you_ were the one who stuck catsup in your ears, Mr. Catsup-star!"

"Le-gasp! How did you know about the top secret _catsup-star_?"

"Because you used it yesterday when Nami was yelling at us!"

"Hey, guys!" Sanji interrupted, bursting gracefully out of the kitchen, "wanna try a special drink I made!?"

"YEAH!" the boys shouted, looking excited to drink something that Sanji made. Well, if I was alive, I would be excited too. I mean, Sanji is a _really_ good cook!

"Here, Aave-chan, one for you too!" Sanji said cheerily, holding a drink up to me. I blinked for a moment before gently taking the glass from his hand and sipping it slowly.

"Hey, wow!" I exclaimed, eyes lighting up, "that's really good!" It was a lemony orangey type of concoction, and although it was a little sour, there was a sweet aftertaste that wasn't too overpowering.

"Usopp, make us some fishing gear!" Luffy demanded, drinking his glass down.

"Yeah, fishing sounds good!" Zoro agreed.

"Why didn't we fish when it was only the three of us that one time, and you guys were hungry?" I asked, floating down to hover criss cross an inch over the deck.

"Well, _you _were the one looking for the fish, I think, but there weren't any," Zoro replied, and he and Luffy raised eyebrows at me. I sputtered for a moment before I responded.

"W-well how could you expect _me_ to catch fish, honestly! You two are probably better at it then I am!"

"You're 422 years old!" Zoro retorted.

"So?"

"So you should have more experience then us!"

"Actually, for 411 of those years, I couldn't leave the island…" I pointed out, sipping my drink thoughtfully. "Also, no one wanted to have anything to do with a ghost, thought it was bad luck or something to talk to me." There was some silence where we all sipped our drinks, and I felt as though the situation was becoming quite awkward indeed.

"What did you put in the drink, Sanji?" I asked in desperation to change the subject. Sanji paused for a moment before recognizing the play for what it was and thankfully running with it, lightening up the atmosphere until it was back to its cheery self again.

"Hey, look, everybody!" Sanji called, sitting on the railing looking out onto the sea, "a dolphin!"

"The ballerinas of the sea!" I shouted, shooting over to where he was sitting and staring at the strangely large dolphin that was swimming towards us at a slightly faster pace than I thought it could swim at. Then suddenly, it jumped out of the water and seemed to grow to several times its size. The others apparently also noticed the grow in size.

"IT'S HUGE!" Several of us yelled.

"RUN AWAY!" Luffy shouted with a large grin on his face. There was an overall feeling of fun and joy as we proceeded to get the heck away from the overly large water mammal that was chasing us.

Finally, after several hours of hurrying and getting back on course, we arrived at our destination. Little Garden.

"That is in no way _little_." I noted, crossing my arms at the sight of the _slightly _overgrown 'garden' that looked like it hadn't been pruned in over a thousand years.

"I guess…" Sanji agreed, scratching the back of his head and examining the island as we drew closer to it.

"Remind me to make Nami a new necklace," I ordered Sanji, knowing that he wouldn't be the person to forget if I forgot. Sanji smiled and nodded, turning his attention back to Vivi, who had started talking.

"We've got to be careful," she warned, "I'm worried about what Ms. All Sunday said."

"You-you-you mean there are monsters?" Usopp gulped, trying his best to look unalarmed, and failing at it miserable.

"Onward!" I cried, "But! Onwards only if ye be men of valor! For in this forest lives creatures so fffoul, so crrruel, that no man has yet fought with them…and lived! BONES of ffull fffifty men lie strrrewn about its lair! So! Brave pirates! If you do doubt your courage or your strength, come no further! For death awaits you all with nasty, big, pointy teeth!" I illustrated this speech with makeshift pointy teeth in front of my face, and I hissed playfully. Of course, Usopp was the only one to take me seriously, and his knees knocked together like castanets. I sweatdropped.

"Don't worry, I was only joking…kinda," I assured him. We were sailing up a river that nearly cut the island in two at that point, and we looked around at the incredibly overgrown vegetation.

"Wow," Nami remarked, peering into the trees cautiously, "this island's practically uncharted and overgrown…"

"That's what I've been saying since we've seen it," I reminded her, sticking out my tongue as I weaved together bits of wheat.

"This is Little Garden," Usopp said shakily, still shivering slightly from my overdramatic warning.

"That's crazy," Zoro said flatly, shaking his head, "who would give a name like that to a place like this?"

"There's nothing little here," Nami added, "I mean, everything's huge! I've never seen plants like these in any book!"

"I have!" I called, waving my hand in the air, "Teacher, pick me!"

"Yes…Aave!" Luffy laughed, pointing at me. I grinned, and drew in a big breath.

"These plants originated in the Jurassic period, and were the favorite food of dinosaurs! Although, they died out many years ago from an unknown cause!" As soon as I finished with my small rant, there was a sound from the sky like an overly large bird.

"What was that!?" Nami demanded after screaming in shock.

"Aw, Nami!" Sanji gushed, "you're so cute when you're scared!" He sobered up and then shrugged nonchalantly. "Don't worry," he said, "it was just a bird. And this is just a normal jungle. There's nothing to be afraid of!"

"Says the blond cook about to be eaten by a pterodactyl," I said, just as nonchalantly as he had been talking. Sanji ducked just in time to miss the claws that closed on the air over his head. As soon as the overgrown chicken had flown off (looking rather incensed that it had lost a meal), there was a large **DOOM!** Sound that came from the forest.

"DOES THAT SOUND LIKE A NORMAL JUNGLE!?" Nami immediately screamed, eyes widening in fear and backing up from the railing. "IT'S MORE LIKE A VOLCANO BLEW ITS TOP!"

"Maybe it was," I suggested calmly, looking around and spying smoke rising over the tree tops. I was then distracted by a movement at the tree line. "KITTY!" I screeched, thrusting a finger in the direction of the giant tiger that was sticking its head out from the trees. I laughed happily and clapped my hands in excitement, and then screamed in horror when the tiger collapsed due to a fatal wound on its side.

"NOOOOO! KITTY!" I wailed, collapsing against the railing dramatically.

"THERE'S NOTHING NORMAL ABOUT THIS PLACE!" Nami shouted.

"KITTYYYYY!" I wailed again.

"WH-WHAT KIND OF MONSTER WOULD ATTACK A TIGER LIKE THAT!?"

"KIIIIIITTYYYYYYYY!"

"THEY'RE THE KINGS OF THE JUNGLE!"

"KIIIIIITTYYYYYYYYYYYY!"

"I say we don't set foot on this island," Usopp suggested, nodding seriously. I finished my wailing after the tiger and spun around.

"HERESY!" I shouted, "I think I'm quite ready for another adventure, wouldn't you say, Luffy?" I turned to the captain, who was grinning wildly and shaking with excitement.

"Sanji!" He announced, "I need a boxed lunch!"

"A boxed lunch?" Sanji repeated.

"Right!" Luffy confirmed, "A _pirate_ boxed lunch! I smell adventure!"

"And it smells like strawberries!" I added, flying over to Nami and throwing the finished wheat necklace over her head. "I want to go too, Luffy!"

"WAIT A MINUTE!" Nami suddenly shouted. I reeled back and held my poor, poor ears that she had screamed in. "WHERE DO YOU THINK YOU TWO ARE GOING!?"

"On an adventure!" Luffy answered with an excited grin, "wanna come with us?" I giggled as Nami sagged to the side, tears of defeat running down her face.

"SANJI, MY LUNCH!" Luffy shouted, already ignoring Nami. Sanji meandered into the kitchen.

"Okay, okay," he drawled, "keep your hat on."

"That'll be hard to dooo!" I shouted, lunging for the hat on Luffy's head. As always, Luffy dodged, and I tsked before trying again.

"Hey!" Vivi called, temporarily putting a halt to my attempts at hat robbery, "can I come too?"

"Yeah, yeah!" Luffy answered, still looking uber excited about the adventure we were about to embark on, "Sure!"

"NOT YOU TOO!" Nami shouted, gaping at Vivi in surprise.

"YAY!" I shouted, jumping up and down in the air, "WE'VE CORRUPTED THE PRINCESS!"

"YOU SHOULDN'T BE HAPPY ABOUT THAT!" Nami screamed at me.

"Well, why shouldn't I?" Vivi asked, looking a little excited about an adventure herself, "I'll just brood if I sit around her. This'll keep me busy while the Log Pose sets."

"_We're going on a trip in our favorite rocket ship, soaring through the sky, Little Einstein's!_" I sang, flying circles in the air as I gravitated to the land where we dropped anchor.

"Besides, Karoo will protect me!" At these words, I burst out laughing at the look on the poor duck's face.

"I'll fix you and Aave-chan a sweetheart lunch, princess!" Sanji called down from the kitchen. Thinking for a moment, I whistled for Gwaine and asked him if he wanted to go exploring. The hummingbird-dog took one look at the overly large forest and skedaddled back into the kitchen.

"I guess that was a no," I muttered, crossing my arms and pouting. At least Bearetta (who was always tucked safely inside my hat) would accompany me.

"Could you give Karoo a drink too?" Vivi wondered, and Sanji happily replied to the positive. After a few more minutes of waiting for Sanji to finish with the meals, we finally set off. Luffy was running, I was flying, and Vivi was riding on Karoo's back.

"THIS IS SO MUCH FUUUN!" I shouted, spinning some cartwheels through the air before pretending like I was running on the ground next to Luffy. However, where he had to leap over things and duck, I just left a large trail of frost behind me as I didn't bother to duck or jump at all.

"That's kind of freaky no matter how many times I see it," Vivi noted with a sweatdrop, watching low hanging tree branches phase right through my head.

"I stopped flinching after ten minutes of being dead," I informed her, passing right through a boulder, "It was a lot of fun, dontcha know!" I grinned back at her, stumbling over Luffy when he bent to pick up something,

"HAWAAAAAAA!" I screeched, falling face first through the ground. Let me tell you, _that_ is not a pleasant experience. Sure, it's probably useful, but down there, you can't see _anything_. I heard muffled voices, and following them, I breached the surface, belatedly noticing that the area I had fallen into was surrounded by frost, and the ground was steaming like it was trying to turn my frost into a puddle, but the puddle kept refreezing over.

"Well, that was…interesting…" I commented, looking over at Vivi and Luffy, who were ooo aawing over a snail type thing.

"That looks like an ammonite," Vivi announced, peering at the snail-octopus.

"That means 'armored squid', right?" Luffy asked with a laugh, waving the ammonite back and forth.

"Actually, it's translated as an ammonoid that belongs to the order _Ammonitida_, typically having frilled suture lines." I informed them, rising from the ground and floating over to them. When they just kind of stared at me in disbelief, I shrugged.

"What? I was sick, tired, and bored. I think I read all of the books in the house, and some of those were books on this point in history," I explained, drawing a sympathetic look from Vivi and an understanding ah-I-finally-got-it look from Luffy. I wrinkled my nose, and was about to add something else when I saw Luffy's eyes going wide while he was looking over my shoulder. Looking around, I screeched in delight upon seeing a dinosaur. An honest to goodness _dinosaur_!

"THIS IS THE BEST DAY OF MY LIFE!" I screeched, spinning around in circles while Vivi was silent.

"This is a prehistoric island," she finally said as I was about to zoom off and meet the brontosaurus.

"Huh?" Luffy asked, tearing his eyes away from the awesome opossum dino to glance at Vivi.

"The age of the dinosaurs never ended here!" Vivi tried to explain. I tilted my head, though I thought I got it. Never hurt to be sure.

"At the risk of sounding repetitive and dull, huh?" I said, repeating Luffy's question. Vivi sighed, and put on that serious look that I had come to recognize as her 'explaining' face.

"Because it's so hard to travel on the Grand Line, the islands here have been isolated. So each one has developed its own unique culture," she started, "Some cultures are very advanced! Others have stayed unchanged for thousands of years! The unstable climate on the Grand Line makes this possible." She gulped and then finished her explanation. "This island is still in the dinosaur age! It's stuck in time!" As soon as her little speech was finished, I zoomed off to join Luffy in greeting the brontosaurus.

"HEY, GET BACK HERE! LUFFY, GET OFF THAT THING!" I heard Vivi shout behind me. I just gave out a whoop and sped up even more, flying upwards so that I was soon face to face with the brontosaurus.

"Ciao, signore!" I greeted politely, even bowing a little bit, "come stai?" The thought did cross my mind that maybe it didn't speak the language Hoshi-chan taught me, but its own language. With that thought in mind, I decided to try and figure out what its language was so that I could communicate with it.

"Geez," I muttered to Luffy, who was almost to the top of the brontosaurus's head, "there should be some universal language for all animals so I only have to learn one more language." Luffy laughed heartily at that as he took the last few leaps to the top of the brontosaurus who I had decided to name Ralph.

"What a great view!" Luffy exclaimed as he stood upright on Ralph's head. Luffy was holding his hat on his head because of the wind that comes from being up so high, and he was staring out over the island, taking in the beautiful scenery.

"I wanna have my lunch up here," he added after a bit, before being distracted by something else. "Hey! Volcanos!"

"I _knew_ there were some here!" I exclaimed, following his pointed finger with my eyes. "And there are some caves in that direction too!"

"Be careful!" I dimly heard Vivi call up from below, "It may be gentle, but it's still a dinosaur!"

"Don't worry!" Luffy called back down, "this guy just wants to eat grass!"

"Ralph," I corrected, causing Luffy to blink once before grinning and nodding.

"I bet Ralph doesn't even know we're here!" Luffy called down to Vivi again, "but never mind him, look at those big caves over there!" As Luffy stood back up to look, Ralph flicked his head up, and gulped Luffy down. It took me a few seconds to really understand what had happened, but before I could freak out, Ralph's head was flying up into the air and Luffy appeared out of the windpipe. I quickly grabbed the straps to Luffy's backpack as he fell past me, and kept him in the air until I gratefully relieved the burden into the giant hand of…well…a giant!

"HO HO HO HO HO HO!" The giant chortled, "HERE'S A LIVELY HUMAN AND GHOST!" I blinked and then realized I hadn't chamo'd myself before leaving the boat like I usually do. "I HAVEN'T HAD A GUEST FOR A WHILE!"

"Wow!" Luffy exclaimed, standing up and none the worse for wear, "You're huge! Are you a human!?"

"HOHOHOHO!" The giant laughed again, "I AM DORRY, THE MIGHTIEST WARRIOR OF ELBATH!"

"Hello Dorry, the mightiest warrior of Elbath!" I called, waving my hand at him and grinning.

"HELLO, TINY GHOST FRIEND!"

"Aave!"

"TINY GHOST NAMED AAVE!" The two of us grinned at each other before Dorry proceeded to talk again, but at a lower volume then shouting. "You're all invited to my place," he said, looking down at where Karoo and Vivi had last been. Dorry perched Luffy on his shoulder, and I latched onto Luffy's back as Dorry started walking at a relatively slow pace so that Vivi could keep up with us.

"A giant!" I whispered into Luffy's ear, "I met a giant before, he was in Fairy Queen's kingdom and he was negotiating a peace treaty with her people!"

"That's great," Luffy commented, "what happened?"

"Well, he accidently sat on a visiting dignitary from Flopperbottom Grove, but her was awful polite about it and he said sorry a lot," I said, swinging my legs back and forth on top of Dorry's shoulder.

"Did they get the treat signed?"

"_Treaty_, and yes," I answered, "the dignitary from Flopperbottom went home with a case of flotbot, but otherwise all was well. I think the fairies and them are still trading kniggets with each other. Those are little sparkly lights that look like the stars with placed properly."

"What else do they trade?" Luffy asked curiously.

"I think there was something called blotworms, which when grinded up – oh, they're not real worms by the way, they're a type of root – clean infections of the ear quite nicely," I chortled, thinking about the day when the treaty had been ratified. Oh, what a day it was. There were endless celebrations across the realms, and of _course_, I had to go to all of them. My favorite had been the Glarwill Troll family's party, which had been full of tiory-berry punch and mondar salad.

"Is this it, Dorry?" Luffy asked when Dorry stopped walking.

"Hohoho! Yes, small human, it is!" Dorry laughed, sitting down on a large boulder and creating a small earthquake while he did it. "Here, I'll cook the meat, and we'll have a feast!" At that invitation, Luffy and I cheered and made our way down the giant (meaning Luffy jumped off and I held on) to talk to Vivi. The princess was understandably a little upset that we were going to have a meal in the presence of a giant. One who, in her opinion, could very well squash us flat with his hand if he so chose.

"Please," I snorted, gesturing to myself, "how many times do I have to say it? I'm _dead_, remember?"

"I wasn't talking about _you_, I was talking about us!" Vivi pointed a finger at Luffy, then Karoo, and then finally herself.

"Ah, calm down, Vivi!" Luffy said, drooling at the scent of cooking meat, "I'm sure it'll be fine!"

"You're just saying that because you're hungry!" Vivi accused. I crook'd a finger at her to come closer.

"I'll tell you a secret, Vivi," I whisper shouted, "He's _always_ hungry!" I grinned as her face fell a few feet when Dorry shouted out that the food was finally done cooking. Immediately, Luffy traded lunches with the giant so that he could have a taste of what dinosaur tasted like. I was a little curious myself, so I asked Luffy if I could have a small bite. Luffy looked thoughtful for a moment before tearing off a tiny chunk and offering it to me. I thanked him and popped it into my mouth, chewing carefully.

Really, it wasn't all it was cracked up to be. It tasted a little like chicken and beef, with a side of mashed potatoes, but otherwise it was chewy and hard to swallow because there was a little too much juice. Obviously though, I couldn't tell Luffy that, so I nodded and hummed my appreciation before sitting on the bone that was hanging out of the side of the meat.

"This sure is good, Mr. Giant!" Luffy complimented, sitting in a sizeable chunk that he had eaten out of the meat already. I was a little impressed that he was still eating with how much he already ate, but it was Luffy, so I let it go.

"HOHOHOHO! YOUR PIRATE BOXED LUNCH WASN'T BAD EITHER!" Dorry laughed, gently holding the -tiny- box in between his fingers. "Not very filling though," he added humorously.

"Of course it's good," Luffy said matter of a factly, "I'd knock you down if you didn't like it!"

"HOHOHO!" Dorry laughed again, "WHAT A FUNNY LITTLE FELLER!"

"What's it like being so tall?" I questioned, swinging my feet and adjusting my hat. Dorry gently set the -tiny- lunch box on the ground next to Luffy's backpack before answering.

"Well," he pondered, "there's always wind, and the scenery is a sight to see," he then grinned even harder, "and it's fun to cause small earth tremors wherever I walk!" He finished with a laugh.

"By the way mister," Luffy garbled with his mouth full, "how come you live here all alone? Don't you have a village?"

"Yes," the giant said, suddenly quieter, "I come from a village. I'm from Elbath, a village of warriors. It lies elsewhere on the Grand Line."

"Is it big?" I asked, watching in amazement as Luffy demolished another quarter of the meat.

"HOHOHO!" Dorry laughed, throwing back his head, "It's a village of GIANTS! Of _course_ it's big!" I laughed too, and after a few moments of obnoxious laughter that had Vivi sighing in defeat, Dorry went on with his explanation.

"In my village," he said, "we lived by a code. When there's a dispute and neither side will yield, the god of Elbath decides the matter. Our god protects the once who is right and lets him live. I started some trouble, and now I'm on this island fighting another warrior. Whoever is right will win the battle and live." Suddenly, Dorry started laughing heartily again. "**But we've been at it for a hundred years already! And nothing's been settled! HOHOHO!**"

"YOU'VE BEEN FIGHTING FOR A HUNDRED YEARS!?" Luffy exclaimed, looking in awe at the fact that Dorry was so old and still trying to fight to the death.

"Awe, that's nothing," Dorry chuckled, "Our lifespans are three times those of humans! Except for maybe Aave the human ghost," Dorry looked over at me with a humorous look on his face. I giggled.

"I'm 422!" I sang, flipping off of the bone that no longer had meat on it and drifting in the air languidly. Dorry roared with laughter again.

"Older than me!" He laughed, looking down curiously when Vivi interrupted him.

"Even if you do live that long," she protested, "wouldn't you lose your passion for battle!? What's the point anymore!?" she had to raise her voice when a volcano erupted. "DO YOU STILL WANT TO KILL EACH OTHER!?" At the sound of the volcano, Dorry started to stand up.

"Well," he grunted, righting himself and turning in the direction of the volcano, "I'd better be going." At Luffy's curious face, he elaborated. "It was decided some time ago that the eruption of Dead Center mountain would be the signal for combat," he explained.

"A hatred that makes you hack at each other for a hundred years!?" Vivi demanded, "That's insane!"

"No, that's determination," I corrected, "there's a difference."

"BUT WHAT WAS THE DISPUTE ABOUT IN THE FIRST PLACE!?" Vivi shouted, obviously fed up with people trying to kill each other to death.

"That's doesn't matter," I sighed, and Luffy sent me a grateful look that I had shut her up for the moment.

"**That's right,**" Dorry agreed, drawing his sword, "**this is a matter of honor.**" Suddenly, another giant seemed to rise up out of the forest and gave a low guttural growl that would have shaken my bones if I had any in the first place. But since I was dead, and I didn't have any, it didn't shake my bones.

"**The reason we fought,**" Dorry continued as the two giants clashed, "**IS LONG FORGOTTEN!**"

Luffy all of a sudden collapsed to the ground, staring up at the fight with wide awed eyes.

"Too much," he gasped, "too big." I giggled and collapsed onto his stomach, also staring up at the fight. After a moment, they moved away and we could only see their heads.

"How cool!" I laughed, kicking my legs in the air and reclining on Luffy, who huffed and tossed me into the air. I pouted and then flew up, up, up, and over the tree line to see Dorry heading back in our direction, a little beat up, and carrying what looked like barrels from our ship.

"He's coming back," I announced just as Dorry entered the clearing. When he informed us of the guests that the other giant – Broggy was his name – had in his clearing, we were understandably enthused.

"WAHAHAHAHAHA!" Dorry laughed, "I see! So Broggy's guests are your friends! There was one with a long nose, and a woman."

"Pinocchio and Nami!" I announced.

"They're dummies," Luffy added semi-seriously, "they said they weren't going to leave the ship! I guess they wanted some adventure after all!"

"Or maybe they were just too scared to decline Broggy's invitation to dinner?" I suggested, thinking that maybe both giants were a little too hospitable for their own good. If someone wanted to hurt them, all they would have to do was get invited to dinner.

"Either way, this is good ale," Dorry complimented, taking another swig from the barrel before setting it aside and opening another.

"By the way, Mr. Dorry," Vivi said hesitantly, "you said it would take the Log Pose a year to reset. Is that true?" I had kind of been thinking the same thing, but it didn't bother me as much, seeing as I was dead and therefore could wait however long I needed to for the Log Pose to set. The worst thing would be boredom, but that was it.

"The skulls of little humans like yourselves are scattered around, didn't you see them?" Dorry asked us rhetorically, "Little people who come to this island usually die before their Log Poses reset. Some become dinosaur food, others die of heat or hunger, some die because they attack us. But they all die. A year on this island is more than puny humans can endure."

"I can endure it!" I shouted, making a grab at Luffy's hat which he deftly dodged.

"You're already dead," Vivi pointed out, though not unkindly. I shrugged and continued my assault. "What'll I do!?" Vivi bemoaned, hiding her face in her hands in despair, "Even if we manage to survive for a year, wat would becoe of my kingdom?"

"Oh yeah," Luffy nodded, dodging another one of my attempts on his hat, "and besides, we'd get bored. Isn't there a faster way, old man?"

"That's rude Luffy," I scolded him, "If he's old, then that means that I am positively ancient!"

"Well, you _are_ 422 years old," Luffy pointed out. I sagged for a moment, pouting at the injustice that was being done.

"Perhaps," Dorry said thoughtfully, "with the Eternal Pose. But it's set to our homeland, Elbath. Actually, we're fighting over it right now. Would you like to try taking it by force?"

"That's no good," Luffy pouted, settling back onto his hands as I was still pouting over the age comment, "we don't wanna go to Elbath. We just wanna get to the next island."

"Yes," I agreed, "not being bored would be very nice."

"Forget being bored!" Vivi snapped, "If we stray from the course to Alabasta, who knows where we'd end up!?" I held up my hands in mock defense.

"HOHOHO!" Dorry laughed. Wow, the guys actually laughed a lot, now that I noticed. Was that a trait of giants? "You could just go on your way! With a little luck, you might get there!" As he and Luffy bonded over just getting on the ship and letting luck sail the way, I wandered off to go find the others of our crew. Dorry had said that there were only two others at Broggy's place, so Sanji and Zoro weren't on the ship. That meant they were somewhere in this…jungle…

I looked around at the dense forest that was suddenly very intimidating.

"Why am I getting shivers?" I wondered aloud, wincing when my voice echoed around me clearly. Taking Bearetta out of my hat and squeezing her in my arms, I hesitantly flew through the forest, not bothering to dodge trees or obstacles in my way.

"This silence is unnatural," I muttered to Bearetta, looking around cautiously, "I wonder if I should sing…" After a few more moments of silence, I frowned and decided to do just that.

**Knights of the Round Table**

_We're knights of the round table,_

_We dance when'er we're able,_

_We do routines and chorus scenes_

_With footwork impeccable._

_We dine well here in Camelot,_

_We eat ham and jam and spam a lot!_

_We're knights of the round table,_

_Our shows_

_Are for-_

_Midable!_

_But many times we're given rhymes_

_That are quite unsing-able_

_We're opera mad in Camelot,_

_We sing from the diaphragm a lot!_

_In war we're tough and able,_

_Quite indefatigable,_

_Between our quests we sequin vests and impersonate Clark Gable_

_It's a busy life in Camelot._

_I have to push the pram a loooooot!_

I giggled a little, feeling better now that there was the telltale roars of a giant beastie coming closer to me.

"I think that I like dinosaurs maybe a little too much," I sighed, looking up at the tyrannosaurus rex that was looming over me with what looked like a smirk on its face.

"I dub thee _Sir_ Bedivere!" I cried, christening him with an imaginary sword. The T-rex looking confused for a moment before lunging down and closing his jaws around my body. I stayed in place, of course, when he straightened back up, and instead, he got frostbitten in his mouth, poor thing.

"Now, why did you go and do that?" I scolded him, shaking my finger, "Is it common practice in these parts to try and eat the person who gave you a name? Really." I huffed and crossed my arms, Bearetta dangling from one hand. Sir Bedivere just looked confused, shaking his head and opening and closing his mouth, which was steaming with cold. I drew breath to say something else when I was interrupted.

"Hey, I didn't expect to see you here, Aave!" I turned around to see Zoro dragging what looked like a triceratops behind him. It was quite obviously dead and going to become food for the crew.

"You went hunting?" I questioned, poking a finger in the direction of the felled dinosaur.

"Yeah, are you?" Zoro quipped, poking his own finger at Sir Bedivere.

"Ah, how rude of me," I laughed, and decided to introduce them. "Zoro, this is Sir Bedivere, who unfortunately has a spot of frostbite in his mouth." Zoro chuckled at that, which I gallantly chose to ignore. "Sir Bedivere, this is Zoro, he's the firstmate on the pirate crew I'm on, and he's _not food_!" This last bit was sent at the t-rex with a stern glare and a pointed frosting over of an incredibly large tree. I could see Sir Bedivere gulp nervously and back off a little.

"Remember," I said, "humans are friends, not food. Besides, so you really think something as small as _us_ is going to sate your stomach?" The t-rex looked thoughtful at that and then nodded slightly.

"I can't believe that thing actually understands you," I heard Zoro mutter as he walked up to stand next to me, still dragging the triceratops behind him. I shrugged indifferently and looked over at the mossy-haired swordsman.

"Are you heading back to the ship?" I asked, genuinely curious. Zoro grinned sharply.

"Yeah, that love-cook is going to _regret_ challenging _me_ to a hunting contest!" He laughed and set off in one direction.

"Um, I could be wrong, but I think that the ship is the other way!" I called after him, giggling when I heard him curse and then stomp past me again. After he was gone, I turned around to talk to Sir Bedivere again, but he was gone. I pouted.

"Well, that was no fair, initiating a game of hide-and-seek without telling me!" I called out, looking back and forth. Hearing a muted roar from my right, I giggled and followed the sound. "Ready or not, here I come!" I called, shooting through the forest with ease and stuffing Bearetta back into my hat. There was another growl, more predatorial this time, from my left, and I peeked through the tree (literally) to see Sanji take down Sir Bedivere with a swift kick to his neck. I screeched.

"NO! SIR BEDIVERE!" I cried, rushing forwards and patting him on the head. "Oh well," I sighed, shrugging. I then turned to a confused and slightly guilty looking Sanji. "I assume this is for the contest between you and Zoro?" I asked.

"Yeah…" Sanji nodded guiltily, "how did you know?"

"I ran into him a few minutes ago," I answered flippantly. "I think it's a tie," I gave the t-rex one last pat on the head before floating back up into the air.

"Where is the Merry, anyway?" I asked, "I might have sent him in the wrong direction." When Sanji chuckled, I scratched my head sheepishly.

"Well, let's get back there, then," Sanji said warmly, picking up the end of Sir Bedivere's tail and dragging him effortlessly across the jungle floor in the opposite direction of where I had sent Zoro.

"I knew it!" I growled, once I had caught up to him. "I sent the son of the leprechaun king in the wrong direction!" Sanji laughed again, and shook his head.

"Knowing that marimo, he'll be heading in this direction anyways," he pointed out. I pondered that for a moment before laughing at the truth.

"That's true!" I laughed, "he has a rubbish sense of direction!" When we finally arrived at the ship, I wasn't too surprised to find no one there, but Sanji was.

"Something's definitely wrong," Sanji noted after twenty minutes of waiting and trying to listen to the songs I was singing with a smile on his face, "They've been gone a long time, why haven't they come back?"

"They were with the giants last I saw them, but I would have thought they would be back by now," I added, more than a little bit confused. Then I gasped. "What if they were captured by sea urchins!" I cried, "the horror!" this made Sanji chuckle, though I couldn't understand why…sea urchins were mighty warriors, and would kill if it was necessary to keep that secret.

"Do you think something could have happened to Nami or Vivi?" Sanji asked, "I know you're fine since you're standing right here."

"Not going to worry about Luffy, Zoro, or Usopp?" I asked with a grin, already knowing his answer.

"No!" Sanji cried dramatically, "they are _men_, and therefore not my problem!" I snorted and tapped the railing of the Merry, where we were currently waiting for the crew. The railing turned blue with yellow polka-dots.

"Better change that back before Usopp finds out," Sanji murmured, taking a drag of his cigarette. I grinned sharkishly.

"Aaaw," I cooed, "you _do_ care!" Nevertheless, I changed the railing back to its proper color. Sanji was right. Usopp would go ballistic if I changed the color of the ship, though Merry had actually _liked_ that color. Maybe I would change it in the dead of night when everyone was asleep.

"That's it," Sanji said abruptly, "I'm gonna go look for them."

"I'm coming too!" I sang, floating after him. "I'm bored out of my mind! B-o-r-e-d, bored!"

"Speaking of bored," Sanji said as we meandered down a random path in the woods, "doesn't that humming-bird-dog of yours get bored on the ship?" I thought about that for a moment.

"I actually don't know," I admitted finally, "He's never told me he was, and quite honestly, I think he's trying to find a place to live."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, it's just a hunch, but I think he wants to find a place to live that's not on the sea, so when he finds that place, he'll probably leave us."

"Oh, I see." There were a few moments of silence before Sanji spoke up again. "Does that bother you?" I shook my head.

"Not really, it's kind of what I did when I joined up with Luffy for the first time…" I laughed, "though I actually stayed!"

"I'm glad you did," Sanji chuckled, taking another drag of his cigarette, "it's like having a little sister."

"Even though I'm over four hundred years older than you," I joked, grinning as Sanji laughed again. As we were both laughing, there was a growling meow sound and then ten seconds later an unconscious saber tooth tiger lying on the jungle bed.

"He looks big enough for you to ride," I commented, looking critically at the unconscious feline.

"Naw, maybe we should just let it go," Sanji thought aloud.

"Think about how Nami and Vivi will see you as a knight in shining armor if you show up on a mighty steed," I sang, grinning as I saw my ploy turn gears in his head. I did, however, regret my decision when he started spewing more of that icky romantic nonsense.

"Please don't," I complained, covering my romance-sensitive ears with my hands, "I don't think I can bear it any longer!" Sanji sighed disappointedly, but stopped and lightly kicked the Sabretooth awake, and then we were off.

"We have to think of a name," I reminded the cook, who nodded absently as he looked around for Nami and Vivi so he could impress them.

"I'm thinking 'Silver', because of his pelt, what do you say?" I turned to look at Sanji but instead found him dismounting Silver and staring at a house in the middle of the woods. "Hi ho Silver, away," I muttered despondently when Silver ran off to get away from us.

"I think that I'm wondering why there's a house in the middle of the woods." Sanji commented, chewing on the end of his cigarette. I glanced in the direction that Silver had run off to, but sighed and flew back to Sanji.

"Maybe they like vacationing here?" I suggested, knocking on the door. There was no answer. "I guess they're not on vacation right now."

"Who would vacation in the middle of a prehistoric jungle in the Grand Line?" Sanji scoffed. I stared at him like he had three heads.

"Um…_because_ it's Grand Line?" I suggested, causing Sanji to pause.

"Huh, point." He said, nodding his head. "So…wanna go in?"

"I have lock picks!" I chortled, popping them out of the air. Sanji swung the door open instead. "Who the heck leaves their door unlocked nowadays?" I questioned irritably, throwing my useless lock picks over my shoulder, allowing them to disappear.

"Hey, there's tea!" Sanji called from inside. I poked my head through the wall, and spied the steaming tea on the table. "Hey, that was quick," I commented, flying through the wall and sitting in the air by the table.

"Want some?" Sanji asked, pouring himself a cup. I shook my head.

"I didn't like tea even when I _was_ alive, so no thanks," I answered, looking around the room.

"They are very sparse on decorations, aren't they," I noted, twirling a lock of hair around my fingers. Sanji sipped his tea and hummed, looking around as well.

"The tea was hot when we got here," he added, looking down at said tea, "so that means they are or were on the island."

"Good deductions, Sherlock!" I complimented, clapping my hands and turning the house pink with yellow smiley faces adorning the walls. "That's better," I sighed, grinning as Sanji grimaced at the makeover I had given the house.

"You never do anything halfway, do you?" He sighed, sipping his tea again.

"Should we really be discussing my choices of decorating while sipping tea right now?" I pondered, looking at the ceiling to hide my grin at his spit-take.

"Oh no! The girls might be waiting for me to save them!" Sanji panicked, setting the tea down and standing up. I laughed at his predictable reaction and flew towards the door when there was a strange noise.

'_Puru puru puru…..puru puru puru…..puru puru puru…'_ Sanji and I looked at each other, and then the box that the sound was coming from. Feeling a little on edge, I camouflaged myself immediately as Sanji walked over to the box and opened it. Inside was a den-den mushi.

"Hey, a den-den mushi!" Sanji said with a grin. He set it on the table and then answered the call.

'_puru puru pu-gatcha_'

"Hello, this is restaurant Le Crap. Would you like to make a reservation?"

"We don't take any reservations later than 10 am to 3 pm," I added, grinning at Sanji. There was a pause before a creepy voice answered.

"Stop fooling around, you idiot," the voice said, "you're late with your report!"

"Report?" Sanji repeated, trading a look with me as he collapsed back into the chair, "…er…who is this?" he finally asked.

"**It's me, Mr. Zero**" the voice replied. My and Sanji's eyes widened at that revelation, and we simultaneously gulped.

"Mr…Zero?" Sanji repeated, looking at me questioningly. _Crocodile_, I mouthed, and he nodded slightly, eyes lighting up with recognition.

"You've been gone a long time," the voice continued, "have you completed your mission, Mr. Three, Ms. Golden week?" I saw Sanji bite so hard on his cigarette that it almost cut in two.

"Don't worry," I whispered veeeeeerry quietly in his ear.

"Why do you hesitate?" the voice demanded, "I asked you a question. Did you eliminate Princess Vivi and the Strawhat pirates?"

"Oh yeah," Sanji answered in a relaxed voice, "mission accomplished. Everyone who knew your secret has been eliminated. So you can call off the hunt."

"I see," the voice said, sounding more relaxed now, "Good work. The Unluckies are on their way there now to confirm that the job is done and deliver something." My mind flashed to the odd otter and the vulture from Whisky Peak, and I made a face.

"Unluckies?" Sanji asked, looking around, "deliver something?"

"The eternal pose to Alabasta." _We need that,_ I mouthed to Sanji, who nodded his understanding. "I want you two to head to Alabasta. The time has come to begin the most crucial part of our plan. Go to Alabasta, and await further orders." When I saw Sanji looking past me with a slightly confused look on his face. Upon turning around, I saw the Unluckies in the two circular windows, looking right through me and at Sanji.

"Who are these guys," I heard Sanji mutter.

"What's the matter?" the voice asked from the den-den mushi.

"Er…nothing…" Sanji replied, leaping away from the chair as the two animals suddenly attacked him.

"UGH, WHAT THE HECK WAS THAT!?" Sanji shouted. I intercepted the otter before it could get close to Sanji, freezing it to the core before Sanji kicked it into a wall and went after the vulture, who he easily downed.

"What's going on?" the voice asked – no – _demanded_. Sanji picked up the receiver, slightly winded from the close-quarters fight.

"Oh, um…nothing. Really." I took the receiver from him to speak while he caught his breath.

"We thought one of them was dead, but he was alive enough to attack," I said in my most bored sounding voice. "I'm sorry for the previous reports' falseness, but we really thought that all of them were dead." I giggled a little bit. "Oops,"

"You gave me a false report." The voice was accusatory, and I winced, handing the receiver back to Sanji. He was better at acting then I was.

"You make it sound bad," Sanji said, back to his relaxed demeanor from before, "But I finished them for good this time, so there's no need to send anyone else after them."

"Anyway," the voice said, apparently accepting our small 'mistake', "you're to go straight to Alabasta. And this will be our last electronic communication. We can't have the Marines catching on to us. Hereafter, you'll receive your orders directly, as in the past. That is all. I wish you success, Mr. Three." We waited for the sound of him hanging up before we celebrated.

"I think that went well!" I cheered, dancing in the air.

"What was that about needing an Eternal Pose?" Sanji asked, looking over at the two downed animals. I stopped dancing.

"Well, apparently it takes a year for a Log Pose to reset on this island," I explained. Sanji looked at me in shock. "I knoooow!" I groaned, "It would be sooooo boring!" Sanji chuckled.

"I don't think anyone else except for you and Luffy would think that," he stated, rifling through the unluckies pockets before revealing an eternal pose.

"Now to find the others," I cheered, floating through the wall. Sanji nodded and walked through the door like a normal person. On the way to find the others, I noticed a random claw that was just lying on the ground. I picked it up and held it to my head, turning to Sanji.

"I'm a rhino," I commented with a straight face, "ruff ruff."

"Rhinos don't say ruff ruff," Sanji pointed out. I made a face at him and threw the claw away.

"Shows you what you know!" I quipped, "In Ifnargal, there are rhinos _everywhere_ that say ruff ruff."

"Why are we talking about this?" Sanji asked, shaking his head with a bemused look on his face.

"Did someone shove a vacuum up your nose and suck out every last brain cell?" I demanded, putting on a haughty face, "We're discussing it because we're looking for people and in my experience we usually find them when we're thinking about something else. Speaking of…" I trailed off as we neared a clearing and I recognized the giants. "There they are." I turned to Sanji, but he had already gone off to fawn over Nami and Vivi.

"Heeeeeeeey!" I shouted, flying out of the trees after Sanji. "You guys look all beat up! What happened?"

"Human icepack," Nami called, "Get over here! We need something cold for burns!"

"I'm guessing I should keep wearing my gloves…" I muttered, thinking about the frankly alarming increase in my frosty powers. "Who has the worst burns?" I asked.

"That would be Usopp and Luffy," Nami said, pointing at the two. They really did look pretty burned up.

"ARE YOU MR. THREE!?" I heard Sanji shout, and turned around to see him staring bug-eyed at Dorry.

"Hey!" Nami exclaimed, looking surprised. I noticed that she wasn't wearing the shirt she had been wearing earlier. "How do you know about Mr. Three?" I covered the worst looking burn on Usopp with my hand, and grinned when he sighed in relief.

"That must have hurt," I remarked, doing the same for Luffy with my other hand.

"Yeah," Usopp replied, "It's a little too cold now, though." I quickly removed my hand and checked the burn for frostbite. To my relief, there was none.

"You two spoke with Mr. Zero!?" I heard Vivi gasp. I looked up from Luffy's burn to see Sanji sitting on a log and regaling them with the tale of our adventure.

"He sounded so creepy!" I piped up, covering another burn on both boys' shoulders. "Hands down would not want to meet him in person. He gave me the hibidibijibis."

"He thought I was Mr. Three, and Aave-chan was Ms. Golden week." Sanji explained.

"And you told him we were all dead?" Vivi interrogated.

"That's what I told him."

"Does that mean you guys are all ghosts like me now?" I demanded, moving to another burn when I felt Usopp and Luffy shift uncomfortably.

"No," Usopp replied. I pouted and checked if there were any more bad burns before moving on to Zoro.

"Oh, and since Aave said that we wouldn't be able to get off this island for another year unless we had an Eternal Pose, here," Sanji held up the Eternal Pose we had liberated from the otter and the vulture. There was a moment of silence before Vivi launched herself at Sanji and hugged him tightly.

"Thank you, Sanji and Aave!" She cried, "I'd almost lost hope!" I winced at the less then pure look on Sanji's face, and stopped the blue-nette before she could hug me.

"Ghost, remember?" I asked, and she blushed, coughing into her fist in embarrassment.

"All right!" Luffy shouted, taking two crackers out of Nami's hands, "It's rice cracker party time!"

"Hey!" Usopp protested, "This wont work! There's only three crackers!"

"The party can wait," Nami sighed, tapping the last rice cracker against our captain's thieving hands, "Let's go, captain! There's no time to waste!"

"Is a rice cracker party fun?" I asked Luffy as he reluctantly shoved the rice crackers in his pocket. Luffy beamed at me, taking one out of his pocket and tossing it up. I grabbed it out of the air and fiddled with it.

"You eat it," Luffy informed me seriously.

"I know _that_!" I snapped playfully, taking a bite. It was just as crunchy as I remembered it. Ihmisen used to love rice crackers. One time, he told me that if he could, he would eat them for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. I told him that if he ate them that much, he would grow tired of them eventually. He had just ruffled my hair and laughed, saying that he would never grow old of the food that we had sworn over to become great adventurers. Of course, I didn't remember that oath. I must have been really little.

I was snapped out of my reverie by Luffy talking to the giants. "Hey, you roly-poly giants!" He announced, "we have to go!"

"Oh," Broggy said, looking down at the rubber-man. "You seem to be in a hurry."

"It's sad to see you go," Dorry added, "but I won't stop you! I hope you're able to save your kingdom."

"Thank you," Vivi said sincerely. We started to walk back to the ship, shouting our goodbyes along the way.

"Don't kill each other, giants!" Luffy called, walking backwards.

"Have a nice time!" I added, flying beside Luffy.

"Goodbye, masters!" Usopp shouted, clenching his fists with an excited look on his face, "One day, I shall go to Elbath!"

Timeskipoolalawheeeeeeeeeeeee

"Take a good look," Sanji growled through gritted teeth, "Sir Bedivere wins!"

"Are you blind?" Zoro demanded, "My rhino's bigger!"

"Actually, it's a triceratops." I corrected, "And I agree with Sanji only because Sir Bedivere was my friend, and therefore it's my obligation to stand up for him."

"And who cares, anyway?" Luffy added, lounging against the railing where I was sitting, "they both look good enough to eat."

"YOU SHUT UP!" Sanji and Zoro shouted in unison.

"They make a good comedy team," I noted, and Luffy laughed, nodding his head.

"How long are you two going to keep bickering?" Nami shouted down from the kitchen door, "Just cut 'em up and load as much as you can. It's time to sail!"

"All right, Nami!" Sanji agreed immediately, making another ridiculous pose.

"Right, Usopp?" Zoro turned to the long-nosed sharpshooter, "mine's bigger, right?"

"Huh?" Usopp looked over his shoulder and stared for a moment or who before replying. "I don't care."

"Can't you call it a draw?" Vivi inquired, ever the compromiser.

"THERE ARE NO DRAWS IN A CHALLENGE!" Zoro immediately replied, glaring at Sanji, but helping to carve up the dinosaurs and load them into the fridge anyways.

Finally, after twenty minutes of everyone helping to load the meat, and ready the ship, we were under way.

"If we sail straight ahead," Nami said, drumming her fingers on a map, "that'll take us to the east of the island." Luffy, like always, wasn't paying attention.

"Hey, can't we carry any more meat?" He asked, staring longingly back at the carcasses we were leaving behind.

"That's all the ship will hold!" Sanji snapped, rolling his eyes. "Do you want to sink us?"

"Then we could rise as a ghost ship," I suggested, pouting when there was a frantic shaking of heads from everyone except for Luffy.

"Hey, look!" Luffy said, pointing dead ahead, "the giants!"

"They came to see us off!" Usopp said happily.

"There's one big reason why you little people," Broggy started

"Can't reach the next island." Dorry finished. They were standing with their backs to us and facing the sea.

"Must be dangerous," I commented, kicking my feet against the hull of the ship. I was only semi-solid because I didn't want to expend energy on fully becoming human.

"You risked your lives to defend our honor," Dorry commended,

"Now, no matter what," Broggy said, trailing off while Dorry spoke again. I marveled at the fact they were so well in tune with each other.

"**We will allow no enemy to trample on our friend's pride!**"

"**Have faith in us,**" Broggy added, "**and sail straight ahead! No matter what happens, sail straight ahead!**"

"Okay!" Agreed Luffy. "We'll sail straight ahead!"

"It's time to say goodbye," Dorry noted.

"Goodbye!" I said, waving at them as we sailed by.

"I hope we meet again," Dorry finished. I saw that they had both drawn their weapons. Dangerous, indeed.

"Yes," Broggy agreed, "I hope so too."

"LOOK!" Nami suddenly shouted, "UP AHEAD!" I gaped as this huge…huge…_thing_…suddenly started rising up out of the water.

"It has a fin," I hissed, "and the fin is ginormous!" When the thing finally rose out of the water, I blinked.

"It's a giant koi fish," I said flatly, "I wonder what it eats."

"THAT'S NOT IMPORTANT!" Nami shouted, clutching onto the railing so hard I thought she was going to break it, "TURN THE SHIP, HURRY! OR WE'LL BE EATEN!"

"I have no qualms with that," I said, relaxing onto the railing.

"YOU'RE A GHOST! USOPP, TURN THE WHEEL!" Nami ordered again.

"Yup," I muttered, looking over my shoulder at Nami mutinously, "I'm a ghost and therefore not allowed to say my own opinion." Luffy patted my shoulder consolingly while Usopp denied her request.

"**We're gonna sail straight ahead! R-right, Luffy!?**"

"Right," Luffy said, as calm as could be, "Of course."

"You sound very captain-y right now," I commented, swinging my feet against the hull once more.

"Don't be insane!" Nami implored, "this isn't like Laboon!"

"I know," Luffy said, still very calm, "Don't panic. Here, have the last rice cracker." He handed her the rice cracker that he had no doubt stolen from her.

"NO THANK YOU!" Nami screeched, "FORGET THAT AND TURN THE SHIP AROUND OR WE'LL-" She was cut off by Zoro's voice of reason.

"Nami," He said, "resign yourself." Nami started to cry and ate the rice cracker.

"_It's a hard knock life, for us. It's a hard knock life, for us._" I sang quietly, peacefully watching the maw of the fish draw closer and closer.

"LUFFY! ARE YOU SURE WE CAN TRUST THOSE GIANTS!?" Sanji shouted, looking the slightest bit panicked.

"Uh-huh," Luffy replied, nonplussed as ever.

"You're so calm," I commented.

"You are too," Luffy grinned, sitting next to me on the railing.

"Yeah, well. I'm dead already, so I don't really need to worry about dying," I said, shrugging.

"True," Luffy hummed.

"ARE YOU TWO SERIOUSLY NOT TAKING THIS SERIOUSLY!?" Vivi shouted, looking alarmed. "ARE WE REALLY GOING TO SAIL INTO THAT MONSTER'S MOUTH!?"

"You're on the Going Merry," I said with a creepy smile, turning to her slowly, "Everything is safe here."

"THAT IS _NOT_ HELPING! IN FACT, IT'S DOWNRIGHT CREEPY!" Vivi shouted, collapsing onto the deck. The mouth closed around us, and there was darkness, but we kept going.

"STRAIGHT AHEAD!" Usopp shouted over and over again.

"STRAIGHT AHEAD!" Luffy shouted, joining him.

There was darkness, and then suddenly, there wasn't, and we were flying out of a giant hole in the koi fish.

"**YAHOOOO!**" Luffy shouted, punching his fists in the air, "**WE'RE FLYING OUT!** **Don't turn! Go straight ahead!**" With the captain's order, we kept going after we landed back on the ocean, skipping a few times before we started sailing smoothly.

"May good fortune accompany you!" We heard the giants shout in the distance. I grinned and looked up at the sky. Maybe my prediction was wrong. It was a nice day.

However, while I basked in the happiness of the atmosphere, I failed to notice that Nami's necklace was gone.


	32. Chapter 32

**Ureshiitamago: So, half of this was written a while ago, and the other half while I was at my Grandpappy's farm. :P I had a lot of fun there, so I didn't actually get around to writing ****_three_****chapters, like I had promised, but here's one really big one, and there will be another one up in a few days that is more like the usual 4k words. What else I've done is revise the previous chapters. ****_All_****of them. Over the next few weeks, I'll exchange those chapters with the ones I've revised.**

**Aave: I hope you aren't changing anything life threatening. **

**Ureshiitamago: …naw.**

**Aave: …GUYS! MY PEOPLE! HELP MEEEE!**

**Ureshiitamago: Aaand let's get to the thankies!**

**We would like to thank: lilmissy21, Catlover4536, PCheshire, PeskaDoo T, ro781727, guisniperman, buhopolar, THomassun300, xognoo, macwag5, Moonstar66, Sagicknight, Yurei-san, Celest24, NerdyHuman, and KCHS16 for following/favoriting this fic!**

**A special thanks to Cupcake, guisniperman, and Unseen Element for reviewing! On with the super duper long chapter!**

**Aave:…only by about 2k words…**

_"__May good fortune accompany you!" We heard the giants shout in the distance. I grinned and looked up at the sky. Maybe my prediction was wrong. It was a nice day. _

_However, while I basked in the happiness of the atmosphere, I failed to notice that Nami's necklace was gone. _

**Chapter 32: In my ghostly element!**

"YOU GUYS!" Usopp sobbed, standing on the railing and looking back at the island that had already disappeared, "SOMEDAY, I SWEAR! I'M GOING TO ELBATH! TO THE VILLAGE OF WARRIORS!"

"Alright, Usopp!" shouted Luffy, throwing his arm around the sharpshooter's neck, "Let's do it! Let's go to the land of the Giants!"

"_El—baph-baph—El—baph—baph-? Everyone is huge—'cause they're giants!_" They sang. I joined in for a second chorus, flying over their heads instead of joining their line on the railing.

"Hey Luffy?" I asked, poking his head. Luffy looked over at me questioningly. "I need to find some Truffula seeds sometime." I said importantly. Luffy grinned and nodded, though he still looked a little confused, so I elaborated. "I have been informed by a reliable source – reliable because she's a fairy – that giants revere Truffula trees! Apparently, the Truffula trees are very good for the environment."

"Then we'll find some!" Luffy said as he and Usopp continued to dance on the railing. I laughed and twirled around them in the air, carefully avoiding Usopp.

"_Early in the morning, when I was fast asleep, I heard a little birdie, go cheep cheep! And this little birdie, had a funny name! It's. Called. AGAFLAGGAFLEEGAFLAGGAISHKANISHKANAGANAGAAGAFLAGGAFLEEGAFLAGGA BIIIIRDIE! I'm gonna buy some birdseed for my window sill. It's just to keep him quiet, it's just to keep him still. And this little birdie, has a funny name. It's. Called. AGAFLAGGAFLEEGAFLAGGAISHKANISHKANAGANAGAAGAFLAGGAFLEEGAFLAGGA BIIIIRDIE!"_ Apparently, I wasn't the only one who knew this song, because Usopp sang it with me – presumably to lessen the hurt of my off-tune-ness – and with perfect wording.

"You know it too!?" I cried, waving a finger in Usopp's direction.

"Yeah! My mom taught it to me!" He responded, and we cheered happily, having found something else in common with each other aside from our love of pranks.

"Petit fours?" Sanji's voice asked the two other ladies behind me, "They're my treat of the day. And there's a choice of coffee or tea." I started to sneak away to where Zoro was practicing before he turned to me, but I was too late. "And of course, there's some food for Aave-chan as well!" he added brightly. I slumped in the air and sadly floated back to where he was standing.

"For the 164 th time-" he interrupted me.

"You don't need to eat," he intoned, reciting from memory my argument. "You are a ghost, and as such, you do not need food to survive. I hear and understand, but I refuse to adhere." I pouted but accepted the plate he was offering me, following Luffy and Usopp to the kitchen when Sanji sent them off that way for their share of the food.

"I would like at least once for him to save some of the food that's being wasted on me," I sighed, eating a small portion of my dish before shoving it over to Luffy. It really _was_ very good, but still. If the ship ran short on food, I wouldn't be eating, period. Because I'm a _ghost_. I _don't need to eat_! "Even Bearetta, Fairy Queen, and Queen Margareta of Ifnargle agree with me!" I moaned dramatically, kicking my feet in a monotonous manner. Slowly, back and forth, never changing, never ending, same time, every day, slowly, back and forth…I shook my head and blinked away the sudden onslaught of monotonous, _adult-y_ thinking.

"EVERYONE, COME QUICKLY!" Vivi suddenly shouted from the deck, "THIS IS BAD!" I traded looks with Usopp and Luffy. Then, the two of them ran through the open door, and I flew through the wall next to it, which was the more direct and fast path for me.

"What's wrong, Vivi?" Luffy called down through a mouthful of food. I noticed Nami lying on the deck, looking absolutely prone. It scared me.

"IT'S NAMI," Vivi shouted, in a panic, "SHE'S BURNING UP WITH FEVER!"

"Scratch Truffula seeds, I need wheat," I said, surprisingly calm. Or maybe I was going into shock. Yeah, that was probably it. I was in shock. I summoned some wheat and began making a bracelet to go with Nami's necklace. Or…I glanced down at Nami again, and finally noticed the absent necklace. I crashed down onto the deck in more shock then before. There was no protective necklace. No necklace=no protection. No protection=sick. Nami was sick because my necklace I made for her disappeared. It was my fault. Guilt consumed me as I numbly made the bracelet into a necklace. As I did so, the others moved Nami into her room.

When I finished, I floated down through the floor and into Nami's room. The others were all crowded around her bed (except for Zoro, who I was told was outside making sure that we were sailing on course. I thought _that_ was a bad idea, but didn't really say anything), so I joined them, flipping the wheat necklace over her head as they discussed her sickness.

"It's probably the climate," Vivi was saying, "one of the dangers you encounter upon entering the Grand Line, is sickness caused by the extreme weather." She sounded like she had swallowed a textbook. "Even the most notorious pirates who sail the seas can suddenly get sick and die. It's a common occurrence. Even a little cold can kill you if you're not careful. Isn't there anyone on board who knows a little medicine?" Everyone pointed to Nami, before Luffy made an 'ah' noise, and then looked over at me.

"Do you?" he asked. I frowned.

"Well, no not really. All I know is you should starve a cold and feed a fever, but we don't know which it is yet, do we?" I looked over at Vivi, who shook her head.

"She has a bad fever, but it might be a bad cold."

"She just needs to eat some meat," Luffy suggested, looking over at Sanji, "that'll cure her! Right, Sanji?"

"Well," Sanji said sadly, "I'll cook up something she can eat. That's basic care you'd give any sick person. But it won't necessarily make her well. Up to now, I've taken extra care in the preparation of Nami, Vivi, and Aave-chan's meals. I've made sure they were well balanced and had meat and vegetables." He turned to Luffy and Usopp. "If something was going bad, I fed it to you guys."

"Hey!" Usopp complained.

"It all tasted pretty good though!" Luffy complimented with a laugh.

"Anyway," Sanji continued, "as long as I'm the ship's cook, you don't have to worry about basic nutrition. However, there are all sorts of special foods that are good for different diseases. But I don't know what she's got."

"Then feed her all of 'em," Luffy pouted. We could all tell that underneath his seemingly happy-go-lucky exterior, Luffy was actually very worried about Nami, and wanted her to get better as fast as humanly possible.

"That's a good way to make a healthy person sick," Sanji rebuked.

"What did the doctors do with you?" Luffy asked me. I thought hard about what happened, but all I could remember were very few times when I was 'lucid', and some other times when I wasn't.

"I don't know," I admitted. "Whatever they did, they did while I was unconscious or hallucinating." At that moment, Vivi took the thermometer from Nami's mouth, and gasped.

"_104 degrees!?_" she cried, "her fever's getting worse!"

"There's sure to be a doctor in Alabasta, right?" Usopp asked, looking calm but sounding on the verge of panic, "how much farther is it, Vivi?"

"I'm not sure, but it'll take us at least a week!" Vivi answered despondently.

"…Aave, does it hurt to be sick?" Luffy asked, glancing over at me.

"Have none of you aside from Vivi ever been sick?" I asked, furrowing my brows.

"No," Sanji and Usopp answered in unison. Luffy shook his head.

"ARE YOU PEOPLE EVEN HUMAN!?" Vivi screeched.

"Nope," I answered with a grin. Vivi sighed and rolled her eyes.

"So, does it?" Luffy asked. I shrugged.

"Depends on what you've got," I answered. "Colds are just annoying, 'cause they stuff up your nose and make your eyes run. Flus are a little more irritating, cause you're throwing up on top of that and a high fever. I dunno what Nami's got, but a 104 fever would definitely hurt. It's like putting meat on a grill." Luffy winced at that analogy.

"A fever of 104 could kill her," Vivi announced.

"**WAAAAAAAH!**" The three men started to panic, running around the room at the news of Nami's possible death.

"STOP RUNNING AROUND AND BE QUIET!" Vivi rebuked them.

"Should I use an airhorn to get their attention?" I asked, one already at the ready.

"That's even worse!" She seethed as Luffy turned to her, eyes wide in panic.

"WE GOTTA FIND A DOCTOR AND HAVE HIM CURE NAMI!"

"Or her, it could be a psychotic witchdoctor. Those are always female." I added.

"What!? No…Alright, I know! But calm down! The noise isn't good for her!"

"It's…no good…" a breathy voice said from the bed. All of us snapped to attention and stared at Nami, who sat herself up.

"Oh!? Nami!?" Vivi was instantly kneeling by her bedside again.

"HEY!' Luffy shouted, throwing his arms up in the air in celebration, "SHE'S BETTER!" Usopp slapped the back of his head.

"DON'T BE STUPID!" He shouted.

"In my desk…" Nami wheezed, "there's a newspaper…" Vivi looked over at me. She was in the midst of making another cooling cloth for Nami's head. I stuck my hand into the desk, not bothering with the drawer, and pulled the newspaper Nami was talking about out.

"This one?" I asked, glancing at the headline. I froze. Oh dear…without saying another word, I passed it over to Vivi, who absently grabbed it before doing a double-take and flipping through the newspaper rapidly.

"It can't be!" she gasped as she read.

"What's wrong?" Luffy asked, glancing between Vivi and myself. Vivi was trembling as she read the article, and I was feverishly making wheat necklaces for the whole crew.

"Is it about Alabasta, Vivi?" Sanji asked. _Hole in one_, I thought grimly.

"This is terrible!" Vivi moaned, "300,000 soldiers have defected from the Royal Army and joined the Rebels!? The royal army used to have 600,000 men and the rebel army had 400,000. This…changes everything…"

"Now the violence in Alabasta will intensify," Nami confirmed. "That newspaper's from three days ago. I'm sorry," she said to Vivi. "Letting you see that wouldn't make the ship go faster, and I didn't want you to worry, so I hid it from you." She turned her attention to Luffy, cloudy gaze hardening slightly. "Do you understand, Luffy?"

"I get the feeling it's pretty bad," Luffy admitted, crossing his arms.

"It is." Nami stated. "I'm glad to see you're actually taking this seriously."

"You need to see a doctor, Nami." Usopp protested.

"A fever of 104 is nothing to sneeze at," I added.

"I'm fine," Nami insisted. "That thermometer must be broken. It's impossible to have a temperature of 104. It was probably just sun stroke. I don't need to see a Doctor."

Sanji and I exchanged incredulous glances.

"We have to stick to the plan," Nami said, walking out the door without a wobble. "And head straight for Alabasta." She turned around and smiled softly at us, sending alarm bells off in my mind. Nami didn't _smile softly_.

"Thanks for worrying about me," she added, and then disappeared out onto the deck.

"Hey…" Luffy said to no one in particular. "Is she really better?"

"No," I answered. "She _smiled softly_, and _thanked_ us." I shook my head. "She's dying, boys."

"Stop being so dramatic," Usopp said, a sweatdrop running down his head. "But she always does have to be so strong."

"But she's _never_ sweet to us," I insisted, "something is _dreadfully_ wrong with her!"

"I don't know," Usopp sighed, shaking his head. Behind us, I heard Vivi mumbling, her voice growing louder with panic until she was loud enough to be heard, crumpling the paper against her head.

"**-don't just have to get home alive, but as soon as possible!**" she panicked, "**I've got to get home or a million of my people will kill each other in a senseless war.**"

"Wow, that's a lot," I said, nibbling at my thumb-nail and finishing the last necklace.

"Vivi," Sanji said worriedly, "you have a heavy weight on your shoulders." I threw a necklace over her head.

"For good luck," I said. "Don't take it off." I then threw one over Sanji, Usopp, and Luffy's heads as well. "I mean it," I scolded them.

"What about you?" Luffy asked, settling the necklace more comfortably around his own neck. I pointed at the wheat bracelet adorning my wrist.

"You have a necklace, I have a bracelet." I said. "I'm going to give Zoro his, now." I flew out of the cabin, deep in thought, which was weird for me. Actually, I was starting to become more…adult…which was…weird. Two months or so ago, I had been a true twelve-year-old, horsing around goofing off. Now…now I understood Hoshi-chan a little better, and that was a little scary, no matter how much it made me feel closer to her. I absently tossed the necklace for Zoro over his head as he and Nami argued with each other over the direction we were heading.

"The air…" Nami murmured, looking over the railing, "is different…"

"The air?" Zoro questioned.

"It still looks colorful to me," I commented, looking around. "Like Zoro will be soon." I ignored Zoro's suspicious look.

"Just call the others," Nami ordered without any bite. I frowned. There really _was_ something wrong. Zoro must have sensed it too, because he complied with minimal griping.

"HEY, YOU GUYS!" He shouted over the railing. "COME OUT HERE! TIME TO WORK!" When the boys ran out of the cabin, he added; "We're gonna make a turn to the south."

"I don't take orders from you," Sanji sneered.

"We're gonna take a turn to the south," I mimicked, leaning over the railing like Zoro was doing.

"Yes, Ma'am!" Sanji replied, saluting me comically and getting to work. I snickered.

"Idiot cook," Zoro muttered, clicking his tongue and jumping over the railing to do his share of the job too.

"What's going on, Nami?" Sanji asked even as he was tugging on the rope that would hoist the sails. "The sea's calm and the sky is clear."

"The wind," Nami replied cryptically, squinting at the horizon.

"Can you paint with it's colors?" I asked, earning an odd look from Karoo, but everyone else shrugged it off expertly.

"No…" Nami seemed to be having a harder time breathing then she was before. "There's a big wind coming…up ahead…I think…"

"You think?" I asked, watching the sail being hoisted carefully. I heard a yelp, and looked over to see Luffy grab his hand back from where it had been resting on Nami's forehead. It (the hand) was red.

"OUCH," Luffy hissed clutching his hand, "YOU'RE HOT! WE HAVE TO GET YOU TO A DOCTOR!"

"That's not necessary!" Nami protested, "This is my normal temperature! So stop acting stupid and pull a rope!"

"Nami," Sanji said carefully, "I know you want to help Vivi, but if you overexert yourself-"

"I SAID I'M FINE!" Nami burst out, clenching her fists.

"Nami," Usopp pleaded, "you'd better-"

"JUST HURRY UP AND TURN THIS SHIP!" Nami snapped. There was much hustle and bustle as we complied with her orders.

"_Yo ho, haul together, hoist the colors high,_" I sang, knowingly repeating a song that I'd sung in full before. "_Heave ho, thieves and beggers, never shall we die._"

"Cheerful song," Usopp commented. I grinned at him.

"I know! It suggests that thieves and beggers won't die!" I said, touching the bracelet I was wearing. "knock on wood," I muttered under my breath so that Usopp couldn't hear me. Once we turned direction, and were heading the way Nami wanted us to, I floated down to the deck, and, needing some comfort, latched myself comfortably onto Luffy's back.

"All good?" Luffy asked quietly, so only I could hear him. The wheat necklace rustled slightly as I tightened my grip a little. "Me neither," he admitted. I tugged his hat a little over his eyes in response.

"Everyone," Vivi's voice came from the upper deck. "I need to ask a favor for you." If I, in my ghostly form had a heart, it would have been like castanets at that moment. Or Taiko drums, one of the two.

"I know this is selfish of me, after all you've done already," she went on, "but my country is in grave peril, and I've got to get back right away! There's not a moment to spare!" My heart, or at least the ghost of my heart, sank into the pit that was my nonexistent stomach.

"So I want you to sail this ship at maximum speed and head straight for Alabasta!" The silence that followed was deafening until Nami decided to break it.

"Of course!" she said in a wheezy, but bright, voice, "We promised you we would." I squeezed Luffy, who was very quiet.

"So let's look for an island with a doctor as soon as possible." Vivi went on, and suddenly, the worry that had consumed me was gone, replaced by intense relief. "**If we want to get to Alabasta, we need to get Nami well so we can get there faster.**"

"Because the rest of us are useless!" I couldn't help but add, sending a few people into chuckles.

"Absolutely," Luffy agreed. "This ship can't go any faster then that!"

"Are you sure about this?" Usopp, ever the voice of 'reason', questioned. "What about those million people of yours?"

"I'm sure!" Vivi assured him. "That's why we need to make Nami well quickly!"

"Well said, Vivi!" Sanji said after he stopped chuckling at my remark. "I like you!"

"You've got a big heart," Zoro said with a small smile. Coming from Zoro, that was like him saying that you were a goddess and walked on water.

"Thank you for your concern," Vivi said to Nami. "But, Nami, don't push yourself so hard." I giggled happily and swung my legs.

"All better?" Luffy asked, turning around to look at the sea.

"All better!" I agreed, before we both screamed.

"AAAH! WHAT THE HECK IS THAT!?" Luffy shouted, pointing at the back of the ship.

"AN ACT OF GOOOOOD!" I wailed, latching harder onto Luffy's back, just in case the ship blew off course a little too fast and I couldn't follow.

"IT'S A CYCLONE!" Sanji shouted.

"HUH?...!...NAMI, HANG ON!" There was a sudden rush of activity as Nami collapsed, and we scrambled to both get her into safety, and to keep us away from the storm.

"IT'S ENOURMOUS!" Usopp shouted.

"W-WAIT A MINUTE!" Vivi said as she tugged a collapsed Nami onto her shoulder, "THAT DIRECTION…" Sanji noticed it too, and finished for her.

"THAT'S THE DIRECTION WE WERE SAILING IN BEFORE WE TURNED! IF WE'D CONTINUED ON THAT COURSE, WE'D HAVE SAILED STRAIGHT INTO IT!"

"WHAT A CLOSE CALL!" Luffy shouted, latching himself onto the main mast to get a better view. "WE BARELY MISSED IT!"

"YAY! YOU GUYS DIDN'T DIE!" I cheered, holding onto a railing to keep from blowing away.

"YOU DON'T NEED TO CHEER ABOUT THAT!" Usopp shouted at me, grabbing the necklace just as it was about to blow off his head. He shoved it down his shirt so that it wouldn't blow away.

"YES I DO!" I countered. "I DON'T KNOW THE SHINIGAMI FOR THIS PART OF THE GRAND LINE! YOU DYING HERE COULD PROVE TO BE A DISASTER IF I WANT VISITATION RIGHTS!"

"YOU MAKE IT SOUND LIKE WE'RE YOUR AND THE SHINIGAMI'S CHILDREN, AND YOU GUYS ARE GETTING A DIVORCE!"

"THAT'S BASICALLY HOW IT WORKS!"

"ENOUGH OF THAT!" Sanji shouted, throwing a rope to Usopp. "LET'S HURRY!"

"WE'RE GONNA HEAD SOUTH!" Luffy shouted at the sky, "WE GOTTA FIND A DOCTOR!"

"AYE AYE!"

"_I can't hear you! AYE AYE, CAPTAIN! Ooooh, who lives in a Pineapple under the sea? SPONGEBOB SQUAREPANTS! Absorbant and yellow and porous is he! SPONGEBOB SQUAREPANTS! If nautical nonsense be something you wish…SPONGEBOB SQUAREPANTS! Then drop on the deck, and flop like a fish! SPONGEBOB SQUAREPANTS! Ready? SPONGEBOB SQUAREPANTS, SPONGEBOB SQUAREPANTS, SPONGEBOOOOOB SQUAREPAAAAAANTS! YEAH!_" 

"…Can we make that my theme song?" Luffy asked with a grin as we sailed into the unknown. The resounding 'NO' had him and me laughing and covering our ears.

"It's been a while," I said to him, "but, rock-paper-scissors?" I held out a fist in preparation, and after a while I was repeatedly losing while winning only once in a while.

"So," Zoro said as he watched us play. We were on our 110th game. I lost. "What was that about making me colorful earlier?" Instead of answering, I giggled creepily, starting the next game.

"Aave…" Zoro sounded nervous even as he warned me. "if I wake up tomorrow and find that you've colored me with those markers of yours…"

"Oh, it won't be with _markers_," I said cheerfully, cheering as I won. Luffy laughed.

"Then how is he going to be colorful?" Luffy asked. I opened my mouth eagerly to tell him, but then stopped when I realized that Zoro had leaned forward, his eyes narrow in thought. I grinned slyly.

"A secret makes a woman, woman!" I said instead, ignoring the roll of Zoro's eyes. My cryptic effect was ruined by my groan of defeat when I lost to Luffy yet _again_.

"Want to play something different?" Luffy asked humorously, grinning at my pouting face. I nodded sullenly. "How about pick up sticks?" he asked, pulling a bunch of thin sticks out from somewhere and dropping them unceremoniously on the ground. He handed me one while he kept a second. "you know how to play, right?" At my nod, we played rock paper scissors to see who went first. Of course, he won.

"Does it have to do with the wind?" Zoro tried again after a few minutes. Luffy had his tongue sticking out of his mouth as he carefully poked and prodded a stick out of the slowly dwindling pile.

"What?" I asked, having momentarily forgotten about my prank on Zoro.

"The colorful thing," he said, waving a hand idly in the air. I paused just long enough to slide a stick out of the pile, and then turned to him.

"You'll find out soon enough," I said, giggling as Luffy made the while pile collapse. "I WIN!" I yelled, jumping in the air. Luffy growled and grabbed me by the waist, and started to tickle me in retaliation.

"NOOOOO!" I cried, trying to wriggle out of his hold. "NOOO! IT WAS YOUR OWN FAULT!"

"Tickle her more, Luffy, until she gives up her secrets!" Zoro ordered with a nasty grin.

"YOU DEMON!" I shouted, pointing at Zoro. He chuckled.

"Yeah, I'm called that, aren't I?"

"NO, YOU'RE A DEMON," I wheezed, my face and stomach starting to hurt from laughing too much. "A COLORFUL ONE!" Sure enough, Zoro had grown two horns, a tail, and claws, but the most prominent feature about him was that…he was a walking, talking, rainbow. Luffy stopped his tickle assault and just stared at Zoro before bursting into laughter.

"TH-THAT'S SO GREAT!" He roared, rolling on the deck and holding his stomach.

"AAVE!" Zoro also roared, but not in laughter, "WHAT THE &amp;%% DID YOU _DO_ TO ME!?" I wagged my finger at him and tsked.

"Ah ah ah," I crooned, "no bad words in the presence of a child," I gleefully watched his face – which was mottled with red, green, and blue – turn more red than any other color. "I thought you knew that! For _shame_!" Zoro roared again and then lunged towards me, arms outstretched. As I didn't exactly want him to get hypothermia, I flew upwards, dodging him neatly.

"TURN ME BACK!" he yelled up at me, shaking his fist in frustration. I chortled and shrugged.

"It'll wear off _eventually_!" I yelled back, cupping my hands around my mouth. "Try to keep it together for five minutes!"

"KEEP _WHAT_ TOGETHER!?" Zoro shouted, gritting his teeth. I giggled and stuck out my tongue at him, retreating to the Crow's Nest. "YOU CAN'T RUN AWAY FROM THIS!"

"Oh yes I ca-an!" I sang back, poking my head through the sideboards. He looked pretty incensed, raging at me. I could tell he wasn't _really_ angry though. He hadn't drawn any of his swords. '_That will wear off, yes?_' Margareta asked, appearing beside me with the special brush. "It's been a while," I commented, taking the brush from her and starting to gently drag it through her silvery hair.

"I had begun to think you and Fairy Queen weren't going to appear to me in person, just as voices in my head," I admitted after a few minutes of silence. '_…_' Queen Margareta kept her head turned away from me. "What's wrong?" I asked, becoming a little worried. '_It's nothing,_' Margareta said finally, flashing me a consoling smile.

"I wouldn't believe her, if I was you," a now familiar voice said from behind and above me.

"Drifter, it's been a while," I said, not turning away from my task.

"You know, to the rest of us, it looks like you're just moving a loose fist up and down in the air."

"…well, hallucinations are real enough to the people hallucinating them."

"Maybe so…"

"What are you here for?"

"Think I'm here for something, do you?" his voice was coy, but sounded tired. I finally looked over my shoulder, and felt Margareta disintegrate back into my mind. Drifter was on his cloud, as per usual, but it was colored a little greyer then I had seen it before, and he was drooping over it – not like he was comfortable, but like he was exhausted. If it was possible, it even looked as though he was developing bags under his eyes.

"What did you _do_ to yourself?" I asked after taking in his appearance. Utter defeat flashed across his face for a moment before adopting his sly grin again, though it seemed a little forced.

"Well," He purred, planting his chin on his palm, "I was chasing after _you_ again, sweetheart!" I raised an eyebrow. Very impressively, I thought. It was what I'd seen my mother do when a doctor tried to tell her that I would never live to see my tenth birthday. Well, I _had_, so there!

"I'm going to blatantly change the subject because you oh so obviously _don't_ want to talk about stuff," I said, mentally noting the look of relief on his face. "I have two questions." Drifter made a 'go-ahead' hand movement. "One, is Nami on the crew in the future? Don't give me specifics. Yes or no." Drifter nodded his head, and I sighed in relief. "Thank the almighty chicken," I said putting a hand to where my heart would be if I were living.

"And the second question?" Drifter asked, looking slightly amused.

"I had meant to ask before now, but how can Luffy touch me and not freeze?" I asked. "It's really weird. There was someone else who could touch me long enough to toss me around too." Drifter looked thoughtful.

"You know, I can tell you because I know that I've told you from the future," he started. "evidently I shouldn't be _too_ specific cause, you know, _spoilers_ and all, but I can give you a basic outline." I nodded.

"Go ahead then," I said.

"I've said before that Luffy is a good man, yes?" Drifter asked. I nodded, smiling warmly.

"And I corrected you, saying he was a great man." Drifter smiled back at me, looking a little less tired.

"Have you heard of Haki?" This was a strange change of subject that threw me off. I blinked, thinking hard.

"I heard Roger say something about it," I began, swallowing a little thickly when I thought about my friend, "And asked Hoshi-chan about it 22 years ago, but she didn't know much, only that there's three kinds." Drifter grinned and laughed.

"And you now officially know more about it than your whole crew combined!" He announced, throwing his arms up in the air, releasing some confetti that disappeared as it started to float down.

"So, it's because of Haki that Luffy can grab me?"

"Close," Drifter said, see-sawing his hand, "it's his _potential_ for the strongest Haki, Conqueror's Haki, that makes him able to grab you. And it's strong too, otherwise he'd only be able to not be frozen by you."

"Should I tell Luffy about this potential, or keep it mum for now?" I asked. Drifter screwed up his face.

"That's difficult." He admitted. "I'll ask future you when you told him, and I'll relay the message back, okay?" I nodded, happy to have _something _to go on.

"Yesh, I think that'll be great," I said. "Stay for a bit," I ordered. "You look a little too tired to be jumping dimensions right now." At that, Drifter's face suddenly clouded over, and he hung his head.

"I wish it were that easy," I heard him mutter, then he coughed and spoke a little louder. "I'm terribly sorry, my princess," he said with a flourish of his diary, "but I cannot currently stay here any longer!" He looked around a little uncertainly before quickly reaching into a pocket and pulling out another journal. This one was leather bound, and had a bright blue ribbon attached to a bright blue pen dangling from the end of the spine. He tossed it to me.

"You got me a journal?" I asked, flipping the book open. The pages were lined with bright blue lines, and there was a little insignia of a bright blue cloud on the top right corner of every page.

"I knew you wouldn't get around to it, so I took the liberty…" he said, looking around again. "I hope I wasn't being presumptuous?"

"No," I assured him, smiling, "no, you're not. Thank you for this." Drifter grinned back, looked around one more time, grimaced, and disappeared. I blinked, and looked down at the book again.

"I wonder what _that_ was about…" I said thoughtfully, picking up the pen and getting to work detailing our first encounter at Arlong Park.

I must have spent a few hours up in the crow's nest writing about the four times (now) that Drifter had appeared to me, carefully recalling and writing the date for each one in the cloud on the upper right hand corner.

"AAVE!" Usopp's voice called from below. "YOU'RE ON NAMI DUTY FOR THE NIGHT!" I poked my head through the floorboards of the crows nest.

"OKAAAAY!" I called back, absently noting that Zoro was no longer a rainbow demon. _I have to change him into one when we're fighting Marines_, I thought to myself, dropping out of the comfortable nest and floating down to the main deck. _Then maybe they'll take a picture of _that_, and he'll really be a demon!_ I snickered at that thought, unfortunately passing Zoro at that time, and he glared at me, tapping his fingers on his longest lasting sword. I snickered louder, just to annoy him, and flew through the wall into Nami's cabin.

"Hey, Nami," I whispered, placing a cold gloved hand on her forehead, and smiling when she relaxed and leaned into it. After a minute or so, I took my hand away so that she wouldn't get frostbite. After two minutes, I reapplied my hand, and in this way, I wiled away the night, continually making sure her forehead was cool, but not too cold. She didn't wake up once. It was beginning to bring back bad memories.

**Flashback**

_It was another out-of-body experience, the fifth one in as many days. It was the middle part of the sickness when it started to happen, my body suddenly becoming see-through as I ascended from my physical body. This time though, something was different. I couldn't get back in. When I touched my body, a sudden pain would run through me, and I would cry out and snatch my hand back, eyes wide. _

_ "__I don't understand," one doctor who was trying to figure out why I wasn't waking said, "she shouldn't be in a coma, she should be wakin-"_

_ "__I'm home!" a familiar voice echoed through the house following the slamming of a door. "And I have presents for good little girls who do what their parents tell them~!" I gasped. Ihmisen! He was home! I lunged towards the doorway, desperate to see my older brother, but was stopped by what felt like a rope tugging on my waist. I looked back, and saw a silvery thread, not the rope I had thought it was, connecting me to my physical body. I frowned, and touched the string, sending the heart-beepy thing into a frenzy. _

_ "__Ah! Quick, sedate her! Her pulse is too out of control!" I gasped at the sensation of drums beating my chest and quickly took my hand away from the string. There was a silence in the hallway before the door suddenly banged open, and there stood my brother, staring wide-eyed at my bed. _

_ "__A-Aave?" he croaked, dark blue eyes filling with tears. He was as ragged as I'd remembered, rich brown hair tucked back into a small ponytail that the two of us laughingly called a 'sparrow-tail'. He was tan, skin weathered from the sea, and was wearing the blouse, pants, and leather boots he had left in. Around his shoulder hung the ratty leather satchel that I had helped him sew, and he was hanging onto it like it was a life-line. Just like me, he had freckles on his nose, and they stood out against his tan-gone-pale skin. _

_ "__Sir, you shouldn't be in here!" The doctor reprimanded, injecting something into my arm that made my head feel woozy, but the drumming stopped. _

_ "__The _HELL _I shouldn't be in here!" Ihmisen snapped, his grip on the doorframe making it crack. "I'm her bloody _brother!_ It's my _duty_ to protect her!" The words; 'and I've failed' went unsaid, but they were heard all the same. _

_ "__Mr. P-" the doctor said after a moment where he had dipped his head. I could see real sadness and sympathy in his gaze. "I understand your concern, but if you want to stay, we need _quiet_." With a nod, my brother staggered over to a chair near my bed, but out of the way of the doctor and nurse, and slumped into it, staring listlessly at my physical form on the bed._

_ "__Ihmisen!" I called, waving my hand in his face. No response. "IHMISEN!" No response. I clenched my teeth, and willed myself not to cry, having felt the sting in my nose. "Ihmisen…" Ihmisen pulled his satchel up onto his lap, and opened it, revealing shells by the dozens, in all shapes, sizes, and colors. "Pretty!" I complimented sadly, knowing now that he couldn't hear me. The doctor and nurse took another look at him before exiting the room, presumably to tell my parents what had happened. _

_ "__I-I got presents for you, Aave…" Ihmisen said wetly, and I noticed with a shock that he was crying. He _never_ cried! "You know how you were always asking me to bring back the sea for you?" I nodded, even though he couldn't see me, and this time, when my nose stung again, I let the tears escape. "Well, I dived into the water everywhere we landed on the way home to get these," he said with a soft laugh. "The looks on my crewmate's faces when I told them it was for my little sister," he said 'little sister' so fondly it made my heart ache, "was absolutely _priceless!_ I wish you could've seen it." _

_ "__I wish I could've too, Ihmisen..." I said, reaching out to touch his face, only for my hand to go through. "I wish I wasn't sick," I whispered, bowing my head._

**Flashback ends**

"Aave-chan!" I heard Sanji yell. I yelped and flew six feet up in the air, my head poking through the ceiling and into the room above.

"Don't _do_ that!" I shouted, clutching at my chest in shock. Sanji stared at me bemusedly.

"You were just sitting there in a daze or something, and I tried to call your name a bunch, but you weren't responding," Sanji explained. Once I felt that my nonexistent heartbeat was back to normal, I smiled at him.

"Ah, you caught me in the midst of a small flashback," I explained. "Once you get to be _my_ age, that sort of stuff happens a lot, you know!" I reckon he heard the false cheerfulness in my voice, because he just frowned with concern.

"What sort of flashback?" he asked softly, taking the thermometer from the bedside table and handing it to Vivi, who had just walked in. I shuffled in the air a little nervously.

"Oh, not a _bad_ one, I assure you!" I answered haughtily, streaking out of the room, a little desperately. I grimaced guiltily at my need to get out of there, but I just couldn't stand it any longer. Looking around, I noticed that Zoro was up in the crow's nest while Usopp and Luffy were standing at the bottom of the mast, looking up at him. Deciding to stay close but away at the same time, I settled myself on the railing on the port side of the Merry.

"Hey…" Zoro said after a few minutes, his voice carrying through the crisp air nicely.

"See any doctors?" Luffy guessed hopefully, making Usopp narrow his eyes at him.

"You expect us to find a doctor out here?" He deadpanned.

"If she was a witchdoctor, she would be able to walk on water," I pointed out helpfully.

"What does that have to do with-"

"Is that somebody standing out there?" Zoro asked over Usopp's protest.

"Someone standing on the water?" Usopp questioned incredulously. "That's impossible, Zoro."

"As impossible as this?" I asked, taking my head off of my shoulders and lobbing it at him. I giggled as I passed by him, and Luffy caught me a second later. Usopp shrieked.

"DON'T _DO_ THAT!" He shouted, unintentionally mimicking my voice from minutes ago. I laughed, and Luffy tossed my head back at my body. My hand caught my head, and I placed my head back on my shoulders.

"Yeah," Zoro said. "There's a guy standing out there." The three of us on the deck looked behind me, and saw…a guy standing on the water. A little belatedly, I noticed that there was snow falling from the sky.

"Huh, there's snow,"

"No, there's a man standing on the water," Usopp corrected before catching himself. "Uh…" he rubbed his eyes along with Luffy, and then peered at the man again to get another look.

"That's not a witchdoctor," I commented, swinging my legs, "so he must be standing on something."

"Boy, it sure is cold today." The man stated after a few seconds of staring. Luffy and Usopp opened and closed their mouths a little before agreeing with him.

"Really?" The man asked, looking surprised. Then, he seemed to remember that he was the one who had stated 'it was cold' first, and an awkward silence fell. Well, awkward until he went shooting up in the air, and a ship emerged from the sea.

"GREAT GALLOPING SCALLOPS!" I cried, mouth hanging open. Then, the round ship opened like an orange, and soldiers poured out of it, past me, and pointed guns at Usopp, Luffy, and Zoro's heads.

"A pirate ship!?" Usopp squawked, raising his hands.

"Wow…" Luffy gaped, sitting on a railing and not paying attention to the guns pointed at him. Zoro seemed to be taking the 'this is a shippy situation' route.

"We don't have time for this," he complained. A door slammed open from the aft, and we all looked over to see Sanji instantly surrounded by soldiers.

"So," he said nonchalantly, lighting the cigarette that was in his mouth. "what happened?"

"That ship attacked us," Luffy replied, equally nonchalantly.

"I thought it was something like that," Sanji quipped, breathing out smoke, "from the looks of it." I resisted the urge to laugh, and then subsequently the urge to yelp when someone landed on the railing next to me. I scooted over on the railing until I was against the next railing up, and got a good look at the newcomer. He was fat. He also had a metal mouth, and was eating meat off of a knife.

"Hmm…" the fat man said, "four of you…" Maybe I was just being paranoid, but I saw him glance at me out of the corner of my eye. Invisibility? Not one of the soldiers had seen me yet, or so I thought, so maybe it was on. Well, he couldn't harm me anyway, so even if he did see me, there was nothing he could do unless he was a hunter.

"Can't be just the four of you," he continued thoughtfully, sticking the rest of the meat along with part of the blade in his mouth and chomping down. I and the others winced. "Never mind," he said, crunching on the meat and metal combo, "I've got a question." He popped the rest of the knife in his mouth amidst the disgusted sounds my Nakama were making.

"We want to go to Drum Kingdom," he said. "Do you have an eternal pose or a log pose?"

"Nope," Sanji responded, crossing his arms. "And we've never heard of that place, either."

"So, if you're done, go away!" Luffy demanded.

"It's not good to rush through life," fat man drawled, "If you don't have either of those items, we'll take your treasure and your ship instead." With that, the fat man turned to where I was sitting, and in one fell swoop, closed his mouth over where I was sitting and the upper railing. Weirdly, I didn't feel myself fazing through like I should. Even more weirdly, when his teeth chomped down on my arm, it _hurt_.

"OOW!" I shouted, pummeling the inside of his mouth.

"Oh, I have a _live_ one!" he said mirthfully, biting down on my leg next.

"STOP IT!" I shouted, "THAT HURTS!" Instantly, there was a commotion from outside his mouth. _Well,_ I thought, _I bet the writer never thought she would have to write _that_ ever._

"Hmm…" fat man was still talking, and I could see bits of outside when he spoke, though it was nowhere near slow enough for me to escape. Luckily though, he didn't seem too interested in swallowing me at the moment, just trying to kill me via om nom nom. Which I did _not_ want to happen. I was already _dead_ for chicken's sake! How in the McDougles' was he able to freakin' _eat_ me!?

"This one is a might minty!" he said joyfully. I yelped as my leg was bitten into at the same spot.

"OH GOSH DARNIT!" I howled, sctarching his tongue with my fingernails, trying to summon the frozen underworld. It didn't work. Whenever I iced something, it broke when he chewed. "THIS IS NASTY!"

"LET HER GO! AND STOP EATING OUR SHIP!" I heard Luffy shout, and suddenly he joined me in fat man's mouth.

"Bit of a tight fit," I grumbled, crushed up against the side of fat man's mouth. Luffy was on the other side, but his arms and hands were nowhere to be seen. "Is this that one attack where you launch them?"

"Yup," Luffy said with a savage grin. I crawled painfully over to him and latched my arms around his neck.

"This is awful."

"Apparently he can eat anything."

"…I repeat, this is awful."

"TAKE OFF!" Luffy shouted as we emerged from fat man's mouth and he went flying.

"That was gross, and I never want to do that again," I complained, trying to ignore the aching in my leg and arm.

"Captain Wapol?" One of the soldiers asked, staring at the dot that was growing ever smaller in the distance. There was a moment of shocked silence before the man who had been standing on the water and one more weird boxer-like dude started to panic.

"THIS IS TERRIBLE!" man-on-water shouted, "CAPTAIN WAPOL'S BEEN HURLED INTO SPACE!"

"IT'S A CATASTROPHE!" the boxer-man agreed, his choice of wording reminding me of the poop-butler. "CAPTAIN WAPOL CAN'T SWIM!"

"THEN BEFORE HE SINKS AND DROWNS," a soldier shouted out orders, "WE GOTTA RESCUE HIM!" While the soldiers hurriedly boarded their ship, the two weirdos turned around and pointed shaky fingers at us.

"REMEMBER US!" man-on-water cried, "WE'LL GET YOU FOR THIS! JUST YOU WAIT!"

"REMEMBER US!" as they boarded their ship, that was their main cry.

"I would rather not," I commented, mentally making the slobber disappear. "They looked a little too much like a circus. Normally I love those, but this was just _wrong_."

"Where did he bite you?" Luffy asked, looking down to where I was latching onto his front like a baby koala. I blinked up at him.

"My arm and my leg," I reported, "but it's already healing. See?" I let go and floated into the air, banishing my sock and knee-pad on my left leg and showing them the already fading red mark.

"How did he even _get_ you?" Sanji asked, looking a little incredulous.

"Yeah," Zoro added, "I've seen you almost get eaten by a T-rex, but all it came away with was frost bite." I shuffled in the air awkwardly, a little embarrassed.

"I think it was the 'he can eat anything' factor…" I said, looking over and down at Luffy. "I guess it applies to ghosts too. I'll be fine." I repeated. Luffy stared at me for a moment before nodding.

"Okay," he said. I smiled and flew a loop-dee-loop before flying up to the crow's nest.

"I'll keep a look-out!" I called, flying through the bottom to rest inside.

"I'll join you!" Zoro called, already on his way up. I poked my head back through the bottom of the nest to look at him.

"You don't have to," I joked, grinning. Zoro grinned back.

"Naw, it'll be like old times in that small boat we had," he joked back, hoisting himself through the entrance. "now, show me the _real_ injury," he added, nodding his head at my right leg. I made a face, and disappeared the sock and knee-pad on that leg. It was an angry red, which stood out all the more against my almost translucent skin. There was nothing pointing the wrong way though, so it was healing, just at a slower pace than my arm was.

"You're going to stay here all night, aren't you?" Zoro asked, settling back against the side. I made the sock and knee-pad reappear.

"Yup," I said, "I do that anyway, you know," I reminded him. Zoro nodded with a frown.

"Sanji told me about how you were having a flashback in there," Zoro murmured. I tensed a little, and kicked my legs in the air nervously.

"It wasn't a bad one," I said, paralleling the conversation I had with Sanji.

"You were dreaming about when you were dying," Zoro said sharply. "If you'd have told us you were uncomfortable watching someone in a similar situation, you wouldn't have had to be in there at _all_."

"Nami is Nakama!" I snapped back, crossing my arms like the petulant child I was, "I'd willingly walk through _all_ of my memories for _any_ of you!"

"But you didn't _have_ to!"

"I _wanted_ to!" There was an awkward silence. I sighed. "Did you forget your line?" I asked, and Zoro peered at me strangely.

"What?"

"Nothing."

"…it's cold out here."

"Is it?"

"Yeah, because it's winter."

"Oh." There was some more awkward silence. "…Ihmisen loved the snow…" I murmured a little sadly. Zoro glanced over at me.

"Ihmisen?" he questioned casually. I snorted childishly at his poorly concealed interest.

"Yup." I said with a grin. "my brother would make massive snow forts, and we would play hide and seek in them all day. Changing the snow fort and adding onto it was totally in the rules, so it was always suuuuuper huge at the end of the day!" I swung my arms in an arc over my head to indicate just how big it was. Zoro chuckled.

"You must've really loved your brother," he commented. I nodded excitedly.

"He was one of the only people to talk to me after I became a ghost." I said. "I saw him every year until he became a suuuper old man! His son, Kou, would come around sometimes too, but he stopped coming after his wife had a child."

"That doesn't sound fun," Zoro said, tilting his head back to look at the colorful sky.

"It wasn't, really. The sun's setting," I pointed out.

"So it is," Zoro agreed, yawning slightly.

"Go get some sleep, you dern' whippersnapper!" I scolded, poking his leg with my toe.

"Alright, alright," Zoro grouched, "old bat…"

"What'd you say!?" I shrieked with a laugh as Zoro disappeared, chuckling, through the hole in the bottom.

After a few hours sitting alone in the crow's nest and listening to the snores of the crew, I sighed forlornly.

"Something's up with Queen Margareta and Fairy Queen, Drifter looks like he's about to fall through that cloud of his, I can't go near Nami for fear of flashbacks, and I _still_ can't remember anything about my last name, other than it starts with a P." I listed grimly, playing with little will-o-the-wisps that I'd made. "Time to sing?" I asked myself, then nodded. "Time to sing."

**Favorite things (been done before, but not the whole thing ;P)**

_Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens,_

_Bright copper kettles and warm woolen mittens,_

_Brown paper packages tied up with strings,_

_These are a few of my favorite things._

_Cream colored ponies and crisp apple strudels,_

_Doorbells and sleighbells and schnitzel with noodles,_

_Wild geese that fly with the moon on their wings,_

_These are a few of my favorite things._

_Girls in white dresses with blue satin sashes,_

_Snowflakes that stay on my nose and eyelashes,_

_Silver white winters that melt into springs,_

_These are a few of my favorite things!_

_When the dog bites! _

_When the bee stings!_

_When I'm feeling sad,_

_I simply remember my favorite things,_

_And then I don't feel_

_So bad!_

"Well," I whispered to myself, "I maybe feel a little bit better." I was silent until morning.

Later that next day, Sanji had taken over watch while Usopp and I fixed the parts of the ship where fat man had taken bites out of it.

"I wonder who they were," Usopp grunted as he picked up some more boards.

"What!?" Sanji called, leaning over the edge of the crow's nest a little to hear better.

"Those guys yesterday," Usopp clarified, "I never heard of this Wapol before. But that ship of his was awesome!"

"I don't think it was a real pirate ship," I hedged, following Merry's express instructions on where to hammer on the boards to the greatest effect.

"Why do you say that?" Sanji asked. I frowned.

"I don't know…" I thought for a moment, nailing down a board. "It was the _feel_, I guess. I mean, those 'pirates' sure looked like soldiers."

"That's true," Sanji acknowledged.

"I hadn't thought about their outfits before." Usopp added. I shrugged.

"It was kind of obvious," I laughed, "since when does a pirate crew have to have a uniform?" Usopp and Sanji laughed with me.

"They're just a bunch of idiots," Sanji chortled, "nothing to worry about!"

"FAMOUS LAST WORDS!" I shouted back, shaking my hammer at him scoldingly. "Every time someone on this ship says something like that, it turns out to either be a false statement, or it comes true!" Sanji blinked, and then blanched.

"Y-yeah," he stuttered, "that _does_ seem to happen a lot, doesn't it?"

"It's the _author_, I tell ya!" I griped, going back to my hammering, "the author gets stuck and then they have to find something to keep the story going!"

"Now you're just being paranoid." Usopp sighed, handing me another board.

"Am I!?" I snapped, looking around me crazily, trying to find the hole in the fourth wall. I pouted when I couldn't find it. "Oh well."

"Can we hurry with the repairs?" Usopp asked, shoving another board at me. "I'm not sure when the sea will start to mess with us again, and I don't want to find out. It's not even dependably unpredictable! What a joke!"

"I'll just get Bearetta to help, and that'll make things go faster," I said.

"The stable weather means that an island's nearby," Vivi called. "Sanji, keep a sharp lookout!" Bearetta appeared in her big form, and I instructed her on where to nail the boards.

"We must be approaching a winter island," Vivi continued.

"A winter island?" Sanji echoed, scanning the horizon with binoculars.

"Climically," Vivi started to explain, "the islands of the Grand Line can be divided up into four types. Summer islands, spring islands, autumn islands, and winter islands. And each of these islands generally has four seasons. In other words, when you said the Grand Line, at the very least, you will have to ensure 16 seasons. Beginning with summer on summer island and ending with winter on winter island. Of course, there are exceptions to this, as well as unknown weather patterns."

"You really like to talk, don't you." I observed, grinning and sticking my tongue out at her when she made an un-princesslike face at me.

"Well, her love of talk means we can understand more about the Grand Line," Usopp pointed out.

"I see," Sanji said slowly, "so if there are clusters of islands like that, it's no wonder the seas between them are so turbulent.

"So calm seas indicate an island," I announced, "like that one over there!" I pointed up.

"There's only clouds up there, Aave," Usopp sighed, handing Bearetta and I another board each. The both of us stuck our tongues out at him in synch.

"Shows you what _you_ know!" I snapped playfully. "There are _people_ who live in those clouds!"

"You mean angels?" Usopp asked.

"No, these ones don't have big enough wings to fly," I corrected. "Maybe someday though."

"I see an island," Sanji announced.

"AN ISLAND!" I shrieked, flying over the side of the boat and then up to get a better look at it. It was still far on the distance, but it seemed almost pure white, and it had shapes like giant puddings all over it.

"Mmmm," I hummed, smacking my lips, "pudding…"

"AND ISLAND!" I heard Luffy's excited shout and looked down. He had burst out of Nami's room and immediately sat himself on his favorite seat…but he didn't have any winter gear on. I grinned and decided to see how long it would take him to realize. I flew over to him and sat in his lap, and purred when he absently started petting my head.

"It's so white!" Luffy chattered excitedly, "It's snow! A snow island!"

"Just remember, Luffy, Aave-chan," Sanji cautioned, "We're not here for an adventure this time. We're going to find a doctor for Nami, then we're leaving immediately."

"I wanna make a snow fort!" I cheered, slapping the top of the Merry's head repeatedly. "And then play hide-and-seek!"

"It's no use," I heard Sanji sigh, "they're not listening."

"DO WE EVEN KNOW IF THERE ARE PEOPLE HERE!?" Usopp suddenly yelled, "OH NO! MY 'DON'T GO TO THE ISLAND-" He cut himself off. I looked over at him and grinned evilly.

"Puke up your own guts, and it'll be back~!" I reminded him, and he paled.

"T-that's just a j-j-joke!"

"Is it?" I asked innocently, turning back around to look at the island.

"The snow's so nice and white!" Luffy commented, stars in his eyes.

"I SEE THE CASTLE OF JADIS, THE WHITE WITCH!" I screeched, pointing up at the tallest mountain, which certainly did have what looked like a castle on it.

"Who's that?" Sanji asked, also looking up at the mountains.

"The evillest witch in all of history! She is able to withstand the power of lemony soap water!" I announced.

"Luffy," Usopp said, shivering, "aren't you cold dressed like that?"

"Aave, I fail to see how lemony soap water would defeat a witch," Sanji protested.

"It's only 14 degrees out," Vivi announced. "that's the temperature at which bears get ready to hibernate."

"It melts them into a puddle of goo," I informed Sanji snootily. "And my core temperature is -50 degrees, Vivi."

"WHAT!?" Vivi gaped at me. I grinned.

"It can get colder too, when I'm angry or when calling upon the icy souls of the underworld!"

"Does the lemon have something to do with the process?" Sanji asked, still looking confused, "because that's oddly specific."

"I don't know," I admitted. "I just know that it works."

"Weird…"

"NO, what's weird is that her core temperature is that cold," Vivi corrected. "She could di-…" There was a moment of silence where we all looked at her.

"We're you about to say that I could die?" I asked in a funny voice, trying to stop the corners of my mouth from betraying the hilarity of the situation. Vivi coughed, face red, but not – I suspected – from the cold.

"Well…Luffy, aren't you cold?" She dodged.

"That was a magnificent change of subject." I complimented her as Luffy started to think about how cold it was. "And no, I won't freeze to death because I'm already dead!" I giggled, and the giggles turned into happy peals of laughter as Luffy finally started to shiver.

"IT'S COLD!" He shouted.

"YOU JUST NOTICED!?" The others shouted.

"Fifteen minutes!" I called, picking up my watch and staring at it like it could actually tell time. "It took you fifteen minutes to realize!"

"YOU WERE TIMING HIM!?" Sanji, Usopp, and Vivi yelled at me, doing the backhand-the-air routine in unison. I clapped at the performance.

"Of course I did." I snorted. Luffy picked me up and set me down on the seat before rushing off to get his coat. "Why wouldn't I?"

"Uhm," Vivi hummed, "maybe because you could have told him?"

"I think all of you have experienced the icy coldness that is my body, yes?" I asked, receiving nods in return. "Wasn't that colder then right now?" Again, more nods. "I think that if Luffy can survive toting me around, he can survive fifteen minutes outside in improper clothing in a much warmer environment, yes?" there were some aahs as the three finally got it.

"Now that you mention it," Usopp said, looking at me, "you can instantly give people frostbite, can't you."

"Yup," I confirmed, nodding and tracing an icy dinosaur (Sir Bedivere!) on the top of Merry's head.

"But why didn't that happen to us?" It was a fair question.

"Well, I wasn't taking you guys seriously, and I didn't want to hurt you. Besides, t was always an accident," I explained with a shrug.

"That's true," Sanji said, "there was no time when you froze us on purpose, other than Zoro."

"Zoro's fun to mess with," I said with a mischievous grin. "What's that sound?" We all looked around for the producer of the roaring sound we were hearing. Finally, Vivi pointed it out.

"It's a waterfall of melting snow," she said, pointing over at the waterfall, which kept the water from turning into ice. "I think we can dock our ship there," she added.

"I wonder if the civilians are friendly's." I said, 'helping' Zoro lower the anchor. Really, I was just floating there, trying to color on his face while he dodged my attempts.

"If they aren't, that's a problem," Zoro said, turning to everyone – Luffy included as he had finally found his coat, "who's gonna go look for a doctor?"

"Keep in mind, it might involve a perilous journey wracked with the possibility of _death_ around every corner!" I added, grinning morbidly.

"That's not helping!" Usopp snapped, immediately shaking his head.

"I'll go!" Luffy immediately offered, raising his hand with a determined look on his face.

"ME TOO!" shouted Sanji, fisting his hand.

"Fine," Usopp said, crossing his arms. "go."

"Not going to risk it?" I teased him.

"Stop right there, you pirates," A voice suddenly announced, echoing around above our heads. We looked up at the hills surrounding us, and saw that we were not only surrounded by hills, but by people too.

"They are very silent and sneaky," I commented, whistling at the amount of people there were.

"Hey, there's people," Luffy said.

"They look pretty nasty," Usopp added.

"This is the normal reaction people have to pirates, Usopp," I pointed out, shrugging when he glared at me. "I'd be more suspicious of a happy reaction if I were you."

"Turn your vessel around and leave." One of the people, who was taller and more muscular than the others, ordered. "Now!"

"We came here to find a doctor!" Luffy told him.

"WE HAVE A SICK PERSON ON BOARD!" Vivi yelled, looking a little panicked.

"We'll stay on the ship if you like," I added. "We're not here for trouble, just medical help."

"DON'T TRY YOUR DIRTY TRICKS ON US, PIRATES!" one person standing up on a hill yelled. It wasn't the person who had been talking before.

"THIS IS OUR COUNTRY!" Another person added, "WE'LL LET NO PIRATE SET FOOT HERE!"

"NOW RAISE YOUR ANCHOR AND GO! OR WE'LL BLAST YOUR SHIP FROM THE WATER!"

"They really don't like us," Sanji commented sadly, "and we only just met."

"DON'T TALK!" the same person who had started shouting at us first shouted, "GO!" he fired a bullet at Sanji, just missing his foot.

"THEY FIRED ON US!" Usopp screeched.

"How dare you!" Sanji growled.

"You're not helping the situation right now, Sanji," I said, placing a restraining hand on his arm. I ignored the bullet that whipped through my torso and embedded itself into the deck. "Calm down. They _want_ us to act like the pirates they're used to." Sanji scowled, but stayed still, even though another gun was loaded. I looked over at Vivi, who was biting her lip and holding onto Luffy's jacket to make sure he didn't try to go after them.

"What do we do?" I asked her. "This is a…what's it…time for talk." I shook my head. "I'm not good at that." Vivi shot us a despairing glance, and then gasped when she thought of something.

"I'm taking your idea," Vivi said to me. I filled with confusion.

"Huh?" was my intelligent response. Vivi collapsed onto the ground in a low bow, allowing her head to touch the deck.

"WE WON'T SET FOOT ON YOUR ISLAND!" she shouted from her position, "BUT CAN YOU PLEASE SEND US A DOCTOR!? OUR NAVIGATOR IS VERY SICK. PLEASE HELP US!" There was dead silence from the crowd, but their guns were still drawn. "Luffy," she added quietly "you're a failure as a captain. Impulsiveness doesn't solve anything! If you get us all killed, what will happen to Nami?" After a moment of serious thought where the rest of us all held our breaths, Luffy nodded.

"You're right," he said, "forgive me. I was wrong." He also bowed onto the ground. "Please call a doctor," he pleaded, "please help our friend!" I started to chew on my thumbnail as seconds turned into minutes, with no motion from the people standing on the hill. Then, the person who had spoken first, spoke again.

"I'll take you…to the village," he said reluctantly, but with understanding. "Come with me."

"See?" Vivi said ecstatically, "he understands us!"

"Yeah," Luffy agreed seriously, "you sure are smart."

"Good job, Vivi!" I cheered.

"But I should warn you," the man added, "there's only one doctor in this country, and she's a witch."

"HA!" I shouted, surprising everyone. I punched the air in excitement. "I KNEW IT! A WITCHDOCTOR! YES!"

"I wish I knew how you did it," Zoro said, a sweatdrop running down his head.

"How she does what?" the man asked as we disembarked. Zoro and Karoo stayed behind to guard the ship while the rest of us were allowed on the island. Sanji was carrying Nami. I waved my hand and Bearetta disappeared from where she had been working on the ship.

"She does this thing where she'll say something, and then it comes true." Zoro answered, rolling his eyes. "At one point, she was singing a song, and a part of the lyrics came true."

"She was singing about a dog biting, and I was bitten by a dog," Luffy added. The man frowned.

"Maybe you're a bit of a clairvoyant?" he asked, leading the six of us up a snowy trail. Zoro and Karoo waved at us from the boat. I hummed.

"I don't think I am," I said thoughtfully. "I mostly just say whatever comes to mind. I don't even know the name of this island. Wouldn't people with clairvooyance know the name?"

"It's clairvoyance, and they wouldn't," the man said, "because this country has no name."

"A country without a name?" Vivi asked. "I've never heard of such a thing."

"It's rare?" I asked. There were plenty of countries in my time that had no name. Probably because no one had named them yet.

"WAAAAH!" Usopp yelled, "A BEAR! EVERYBODY PLAY DEAD!"

"I don't have to," I reminded him.

"NOT YOU!"

"That's just the hiking bear," the man said. "It's not dangerous. Don't forget to bow – it's a mountaineer tradition."

"Are you a mountaineer?" I asked, flying up beside him. He shook his head.

"Unfortunately not," he replied, a little sadly.

"Does your village have a name?" I asked, assuming that they had a village. The man smiled.

"Yes, it's called Bighorn." It was a small village, and had hippo-like animals walking around, as well as strange looking rams.

"There are some strange animals walking around here," Luffy said, staring at a hippo thing that was walking by.

"It's a hairy hippo," I commented, watching it as well.

"Nami!" Sanji cried happily, "We're in a village! With people! We made it! A village!"

"There is a lot of snow," I said, looking at the fluff that was covering everything. "I feel like I'm at home."

"But your home was tropical?" Luffy said, furrowing his brows in confusion. I shook my head and grinned.

"Naw, this is what the afterlife feels like, I think," I responded, overhearing the villagers call the man we were walking with Dalton. _So that's his name_, I thought. _Good to know._

"They're not real soldiers?" Vivi asked, watching as the villagers put away their guns and cheerfully went back to day-to-day life.

"They're all civilians," Dalton replied. "Please, come to my house for now." I flew over to him and stared him in the eye. He sweatdropped. "What do you want?" he asked. I hummed.

"Nothing," I said, "you just look like someone…" he went white. "I knew 400 years ago." His face regained its color. That was interesting. "They're probably dead now."

"Most likely," Vivi said with a sigh.

"Dalton," a female voice called. We looked over to see a human who looked like a bear walking towards us. "I heard there were pirates here! Are you alright?" Luffy and Usopp were bowing to her, so I did as well.

"She's not a bear," Vivi whispered to me. I grinned.

"I know," I whispered back, "but pretending is fun! You should try it sometime!"

"Yes," Dalton answered the Bear Woman, "Everything's fine, don't worry."

"Dalton," an old man called next. "I'm looking forward to the election in two days! Everyone says they're voting for you!" Dalton looked a little bothered at that.

"Oh no!" He protested. "Not me! I'm not worthy!" Normally, when someone says that, they really are thinking, _ah heck yeah!_ With Dalton, it was genuine. We finally arrived at his house.

"Put her on the bed over there," he said. "I didn't introduce myself. My name is Dalton. I'm the protector of this island. Please forgive our hostile reception."

"So you're the guardian angel!?" I asked excitedly. "Are you able to fly? Do you have a halo? Or are you woodsier instead of airy? If you are, does that mean you can turn into an animal? Whaat kind of danger are you protecting the island from? What's it like being a guardian angel? W-" Luffy cut me off by placing a hand over my mouth. I blushed, a little embarrassed at my actions. When he finally let go, I apologized.

"It's fine," Dalton said, to his credit only looking a little perturbed. "No, I'm not the guardian angel of this island, but I do have a question." He turned to Vivi. "I have the feeling I've seen you somewhere before." Vivi jumped guiltily.

"It must be your imagination," she squeaked. She was a _terrible_ liar.

"She is a fairy, come down from the land of fairies to bless us all," I explained. "Can't you tell by her hair? It's blue."

"Well…"

"Tell us about this witch, please," Vivi coughed, turning the conversation down a safer path. I looked around to see that Usopp and Luffy had gone. I flew over to the window. They were outside building gigantic snowmen. I giggled and flew out the wall to join them. Summoning Bearetta's big form, we started to build a large snow fort. When we were done, we perched up in the turrents and looked through the window at Sanji and the others. Lucky for us, Sanji chose that exact moment to look out of the window, and Bearetta and I made faces at him. He made an 'aaw' face before sudden realization.

"Could you bump it down a bit so we can see the mountains?" He asked, very politely. I nodded, looking behind me. He wouldn't be able to see because of the snowmen that Usopp and Luffy made, but I was feeling too playful to tell him. He hadn't yet experienced a full on Aave-prank yet, and this wasn't even mid-level. Zoro was usually the butt of most of my high-level pranks. Bearetta and I demolished the fort in a split second, leaving Sanji gaping at the one large snowman and one large snowmonster.

"IT'S A SUPER SNOWMAN!" Luffy shouted.

"IT'S THE SNOWMONSTER SHIRORA!" Usopp shouted as well, high-fiving Luffy. A tick mark appeared on Sanji's forehead.

"YOU GUYS ARE GOING TO GET IT!" He threatened. "Ah, but not you, Aave-chan," he added, smiling at me. I grinned back. "Come in for hot cocoa?" Usopp and Luffy cheerfully demolished their snowy creations and then rushed inside. I and Bearetta high-fived and rushed indoors ourselves.

"Those mountains are the Drum rockies," Dalton said, waving his hand at the window. "see the castle on the highest peak?"

"We saw it while we were sailing in," I informed him, sipping my hot cocoa next to Usopp and Luffy, who were sitting in seiza.

"Did you?" Dalton asked. "You have good eyes, then." I smiled at the praise. "Right now, that's a castle without a king, and the only Doctor in this country, Dr. Kureha, whom people call 'the witch', lives there."

"She sounds nice," I commented, "is she pretending to be a Queen? Because if I lived in a castle like that, that's what I'd do."

"I don't think so…" Dalton said.

"Why would she want to live up _there_ though?" Sanji asked, "Anyway, call her down here! It's an emergency!"

"I'd like to, but we have no way of contacting her," Dalton said apologetically.

"WHAT!?" Sanji exclaimed, whipping around to stare at Dalton. "And she calls herself a Doctor!? What kind of a woman _is_ she!?"

"Her skills as a Doctor are indisputable," Dalton informed him, "But she's…rather eccentric. She's nearly 140 years old."

"Younger than me," I noted.

"But she's still living, right?" Luffy asked. Dalton nodded. I made a silent 'oh'.

"And she likes pickled plums," Dalton added as an afterthought.

"Eeew!" I said, wrinkling my nose in disgust. "I take it back. No self-respecting witchdoctor likes pickled plums." I finished my cocoa.

"You don't like pickled plums?" Usopp asked, also finishing his cocoa. I shook my head.

"They were all I ate when I was sick," I said, making a face. "Apparently, if I ate anything else except for that and rice, I would die faster." I snorted. "I thought it was a load of hooey."

"Sounds like it," Luffy agreed. "You have to eat meat to get better!"

"What do the people here do when they get sick or injured?" Vivi asked desperately. I raised my hand and answered.

"Her witchy-sense tingles and she becomes Santa Clause," I explained, totally joking.

"You're surprisingly accurate." Dalton said to me. I blinked at him, and then laughed and high-fived Usopp. "What she does is come down the mountain whenever she feels like it. Then she looks for patients, treats them, takes whatever she wants in compensation, and goes home."

"She sounds like Nami," I noted, grinning when Sanji sputtered, not completely able to protest, but not completely able to agree with me. Part two of 'mess with Sanji', done!

"She's just like a pirate," Luffy agreed, finishing off his cocoa.

"Does she really become Saint Nick!?" I asked with stars in my eyes.

"Kind of." Dalton said. "It's more of a rumor, but some people have said that on moonlit nights, she rides a sleigh through the sky, and comes down the mountain. That's why they call her a witch. Others say she comes with a strange beast unlike anything they've ever seen before."

"IT'S THE ABOMINABLE SNOWMAN!" Usopp yelped, rolling on the floor in fake agony. "A WITCH AND A MONSTER! OH PLEASE, DON'T LET ME MEET UP WITH THEM!"

"I think it's cool!" I said, grinning at Luffy, who grinned back.

"Yeah!"

"She's our only Doctor," Dalton reminded us. "but we don't like to get involved with her if we can help it. It's best to just wait here until she comes down the mountain."

"You know," Sanji grouched, at some point in the conversation having lit a cigarette. I put it out. "one doctor for an entire country makes no sense." He frowned at his cigarette and then gasped when he saw what Luffy was doing.

"Hey, Nami! Nami!" He called, slapping her cheek lightly to wake her up. "Can you hear me?" Amidst the yelling that the others were involved in, I noticed that her eyes open, though they looked very much hazy with fever.

"Listen," Luffy said seriously. "The only doctor around here lives on top of a mountain. So we're gonna climb it."

"Makes sense," I nodded, "if they won't come to you, go to them!" I was the only one who thought so.

"DON'T BE RIDICULOUS!" Sanji shouted, completely against the idea. "WHAT'RE YOU TRYING TO DO TO NAMI!?"

"It's okay, I'll carry her on my back," Luffy said.

"I can help with the mountain bit," I offered. "Winter is my element, after all, and I can fly."

"THAT WILL ONNLY MAKE HER WORSE!" Vivi's voice was painfully high.

"How come?" Luffy asked her. "The sooner she sees the Doctor, the better, right?"

"Well, yes!" Vivi conceded, "But it's impossible! Look at how tall and steep that peak is!"

"That's why Aave's coming too," Luffy said. "Don't you trust her to keep us going up the mountain?"

"…yes…"

"Wow, Luffy," I said jokingly, "talk about your loaded questions, Mia kapitano!"

"I know what that means!" Luffy announced, pointing at me and grinning. I stuck my tongue out at him.

"Even if you _can _make it, it's too much for Nami," Vivi pointed out. "A fall from that mountain would kill even a healthy person!"

"I wouldn't let them fall." I said icily. There was silence until Nami laughed a little bit. We looked over at her, and she raised a sweaty hand above the covers.

"I'm counting on you," she said with a grin.

"Atta girl, Nami!" Luffy said, high-fiving her, "Leave everything to us!"

"I've had it," Vivi sighed, "with our Captain, ghost, _and_ navigator!"

"Do you realize how sick you are, Nami?" Usopp asked her.

"Give me some meat!" Luffy said.

"Meat?" Dalton asked, looking confused but complying.

"Nami, are you sure about this?" Sanji asked again, "that climb could take hours!" After Nami insisted once or twice, Sanji gave up with a huff.

"Fine," he said, "then I'm going too!"

"Keep in mind," Usopp warned Luffy and I, "if you lose your footing even once, Nami's going to die!"

"Huh!?" Luffy exclaimed, looking shocked, "even once!?"

"He wants to make sure," I said, helping Vivi tie Nami onto Luffy's back. I was a pirate…uh…_swashbuckler_! And I was making sure the prisoner couldn't escape! I still felt a little resentment towards her for what she'd implied, but I had just about gotten over it. I was twelve, for chicken's sake! I didn't really hold grudges.

"That should do," Vivi said, standing back and looking at our handywork. "I'll be waiting here! It'd only be a burden if I went along."

"Me too!" Usopp announced, standing next to Vivi.

"Awright," Luffy said, testing the strength of the knots by stomping a little bit. "Hang on tight, Nami!"

"Uh-huh," Nami said, going back to sleep. I was going to fly behind Luffy the whole way to make sure that Nami didn't fall.

"If you're serious about this," Dalton said, "I won't stop you, but at least start the climb from the other side. There are Lapins on this side. They're vicious flesh eating rabbits. If you encounter a pack of them, it's certain death!"

"Rabbits?" I said, perking up. "Were they pulled from Dr. Kureha's hat?"

"No," Dalton said, looking thoroughly done with me.

"If they're just rabbits, we can handle them," Luffy said, looking over at Sanji and I. I pulled my handy dandy frying pan out of the air and chuckled darkly.

"I'll kick 'em," Sanji added.

"Let's go, Aave, Sanji!" Luffy said cheerfully, taking off. "Before Nami dies!"

"A distinct possibility," I said, a little worriedly, as I could _see_ the outline of a Shinigami, just ready to take her. I tried to find comfort in what Drifter had said about the fact she was still on the crew in the future, but it wasn't heping.

"I'm going to sing and potentially damage your eardrums," I announced after a few moments of silent running (well, flying for me, but tomato tomahto).

"Alright," Luffy agreed, leaping gracefully over a fallen log. There was a strained silence from Sanji, and I could see the almost hidden abject _terror_ in his eyes. I grinned evilly.

**Arukou (from Totoro, so it's in Japanese ;P)**

_Arukou, arukou, watashi wa genki!_

_Arukuno daisuki, don don yukou!_

_Sakamichi tonneru kusappara_

_Ippon bashi ni dekoboko jari michi_

_Kumo su kugutte Kudari michi!_

_Arukou, arukou, watashi wa genki!_

_Arukuno daisuki, don don yukou!_

_Sakamichi tonneru kusappara_

_Ippon bashi ni dekoboko jari michi_

_Kumo su kugutte Kudari michi!_

_Mitsubachi bun bun hanaba take_

_Hinata ni tokage, hebi wa hirune_

_Batta ga tonde magari michi_

_Arukou, arukou, watashi wa genki!_

_Arukuno daisuki, don don yukou!_

_Sakamichi tonneru kusappara_

_Ippon bashi ni dekoboko jari michi_

_Kumo su kugutte Kudari michi!_

_Kitsune mo tanuki mo dete oide_

_Tanken shiyou hayashi no oku made_

_Tomodachi takusan ureshii ima_

_Tomodachi takusan ureshii ima!_

"That was lovely, Aave-chan," Sanji managed to choke out. Luffy grinned.

"I liked that one!" He said enthusiastically.

"Why thank you, my kind sir!" I said in an outrageous accent, before yelping when the wind blew me to the side a few feet. I quickly got back into position with a frown. "That caught me off guard," I muttered, allowing the wind to go through me.

"The wind's picking up," Luffy noted.

"Why aren't you wearing socks?" Sanji asked.

"I stole them," I answered, wiggling my feet at him. Sanji looked over at me, and then down at the sandals on Luffy's feet.

"She stole them," Luffy echoed. He grinned up at me. I whooped and somersaulted a little bit.

"You stole his socks," Sanji said incredulously.

"I stole them," I agreed, giggling.

"Did you know that most people who live in snow countries don't sleep?" Luffy suddenly asked out of the blue.

"Isn't that strange?" I asked, going along with it. "They also don't have to eat."

"WHAT!?" Luffy cried, "but what about the food we saw in Dalton's house?"

"I said that they _didn't have to_ eat. Not that they _don't_," I replied. Luffy relaxed a little. Apparently, a society that didn't eat was a frightening concept to him.

"But why do they not sleep?" Sanji asked, looking completely lost. I clicked my tongue and shook my head at his lack of knowledge.

"You don't know?" I asked, "Oh, poor _poor_ Sanji! Tell him, Luffy!" I mimicked a faint, and then flew like I was dead for a few feet.

"If they fall asleep, they'll die," Luffy answered. Sanji blinked.

"That's ridiculous!" he protested, hopping over a tiny bunny who was trying to latch itself onto his leg with its teeth. Luffy also hopped over it. "Everybody has to sleep."

"It's true," Luffy insisted. "I heard it a long time ago from someone."

"Did Usopp tell you?" Sanji guessed.

"Nope," Luffy said as they both dodged another attack, "I heard it in a village tavern."

"Where did you hear it, Aave-chan?" Sanji asked me as he ducked under yet another attack.

"From my brother," I answered, not bothering to dodge the attacks. The rabbit didn't seem to feel the cold much, just got a little slower each time it jumped through me.

"But if that's true, then why did Dalton have a bed in his house?" Sanji pointed out.

"Oh, right!" Luffy thought for a moment before continuing. "That must be his death bed." I watched as another failed attempt had the small bunny clamp onto a tree trunk with its jaws. When it let go, the tree fell down. _Wow,_ I thought, _that bunny must have a good dental plan._

"I have one," Sanji said, jumping over the fallen tree with Luffy. "Did you know that snow country women have silky smooth skin?"

"How come?" Luffy asked.

"It isn't because they wash their faces with snow, is it?" I asked, causing Sanji to look at me, startled.

"Well…yes." He said, "how did you know that?"

"It doesn't work," I hedged, "a friend of mine tried it, and she got frostbite for her troubles."

"That would be weird, anyway," Luffy said, jumping over another attack. Sanji didn't, instead he kicked the little bunny far into the distance with a cry of;

"I'M GETTING TIRED OF THIS THING!"

"What was that thing, anyway?" Luffy asked, watching as it turned into a dot in the distance.

"Eight out of ten," I announced, "Nami can kick farther. And it was a bunny."

"A bunny?"

"I guess it was one of those Lapins that Dalton was talking about," Sanji said in realization. "They aren't very strong, are they?"

"They have a good dental plan, though," I said.

"Sing another song!" Luffy ordered. "I'm bored!"

"I am not a jukebox," I sniffed, "but alright."

**Tonari no Totoro**

_Totoro, totoro, totoro, totoro_

_Dareka ga kossori _

_Komichi ni ko no mi uzumete_

_Chiisana me haetara himitsu no ango_

_Mori e no pasupo-to _

_Sutekina bouken hajimaru_

_Totoro, totoro, totoro, totoro_

_Mori no naka ni mukashi kara sunderu_

_Tonari no totoro totoro, totoro totoro_

_Kodomo no toki ni dake anata ni otozureru_

_Fushigi na deai._

_Ame furi basu tei_

_Zubunure obake ga itara_

_Anata no amagasa sashite agemashou_

_Mori e no pasupo-to _

_Mahou no tobira akimasu_

_Tonari no totoro totoro, totoro totoro,_

_Tsukiyo no ban ni okarina fuiteru_

_Tonari no totoro totoro, totoro totoro,_

_Moshimo aeta nara sutekina shiawase ga_

_Anata ni kuru wa_

_Totoro totoro, totoro totoro_

_Mori no naka ni mukashi kara sunderu_

_Tonari no totoro totoro, totoro totoro_

_Kodomo no toki ni dake anata ni otozureru_

_Fushigi na deai._

_Totoro totoro, totoro totoro_

_Totoro totoro, totoro totoro_

"It's really snowing hard up here," Luffy commented. He was right. Our progress was significantly slowed by the amount of snow that had piled up.

"Luffy, try to step more lightly," Sanji said in a reprimanding voice, "you're jostling Nami."

"I think we have more to worry about then jostling Nami," I said, pointing ahead of us at the living barrier that was created by gigantic rabbit-polar bears. My frying pan appeared in my hand with just a thought.

"What are they?" Sanji asked.

"Maybe they're giant friendly mushrooms," I said, floating down next to Nami's face. "What if we explain what we're doing and why we need to pass?"

"They're animals," Sanji said, "they won't understand," At that, one of the bigger animals snorted, and stomped its foot lightly.

"I think it understood _that_," I said with a snicker. Sanji grimaced. "Oh great and powerful Rabbits," I called to them, "please let us pass, our friend is dying and we need to see the witchdoctor!" The rabbits looked amongst each other, then one responded by leaping into the air at us.

"IT'S FLYING!" Sanji shouted. They jumped out of the way, and I floated a little to the side.

"Well, I guess we can't talk this out, can we?" I asked it. Sanji and Luffy had retreated a few feet away from it. The rabbit snorted and glared at me, raising its clawed paw and swiping it through me. It looked a little confused when its attack didn't do anything but make its paw icy. I glanced over my shoulder at Luffy and Sanji, who were thankfully staying mute.

"What made you want to attack us?" I tried to reason, spreading my hands out in front of me in a gesture of peace, having made my frying pan disappear right after the first attack. The rabbit looked over its shoulder, and I peered around it to see the smaller rabbit sitting in the snow and watching us, looking a trifle miserable, holding its front paw over the snow awkwardly.

"Sanji, apologize to the bunny," I called over my shoulder to him.

"What?" Sanji replied, nonplussed.

"You kicked the bunny's baby," I explained. "they're getting revenge. Apologize." Sanji exchanged a look with Luffy, but then bowed the same way that Vivi and Luffy had on the ship.

"I am very sorry for hurting your young one!" He called over the wind, "and I won't do it again!" I watched as the little bunny stared at him for a moment before nodding, and the bigger rabbit that had attacked us lumbered over to Luffy, and, sniffing Nami, blinked, and then picked Luffy up, and placed him on its back. Another rabbit – they were probably the Lapins that Dalton had been talking about, though they weren't as scary as previously thought – picked up Sanji, and we were off at a faster speed then we had been going to the mountain.

"And when you've done something wrong, children," I lectured with a grin at the two, "you apologize! Kelso's choices really do work in real life!"

"Kelso."

"A frog who is the nicest frog on the planet. He teaches kids how to be polite." There was a commotion from the front (we were near the back of the pack), and suddenly, the Lapins stopped.

"What's going on?" Luffy asked the Lapin who was giving him and Nami a ride. It grunted, its baby scrambling up from the ground onto the top of its head to get a better look. It squeaked, and then hid in its mothers' fur.

"Aave-chan, can you see what's going on?" Sanji asked, clinging onto the back of _his_ Lapin. I floated up, and gasped.

"It's a rival pack of Lapins!" I called. "They're standing on the ridge that we need to climb over!"

"What are they doing?" Sanji called up after relaying my message to Luffy. I narrowed my eyes to see better through the steadily falling snow.

"I don't know, it's hard to see!" I called down. "It _looks_ like they're just sitting there, but I have no idea!" One of the Lapins on our side looked up at me and mimicked someone punching their fist into the palm of the other hand. "Apparently they're getting ready to fight," I relayed.

"I thought they didn't fight each other!" Luffy called up, readjusting Nami on his back.

"There's different packs," I said as I descended back to their level. "Like humans, they'll fight over territory. Actually, they're frighteningly similar to humans," I said, adding; "no offense" to a nearby Lapin who had snorted at me.

"So we're being held up by politics?" Sanji asked, dropping his head onto the back of his Lapin. "Great." There was a muted thud in the distance, and I flew back up to see what it was.

"They're jumping on the ground," I announced, watching the enemy pack leap over fifteen feet in the air and land back on the snow with resounding thuds. "Why are they jumping?" The two Lapins who were carrying my Nakama seemed to converse with the others, and then split off from the group, running to the left of our pack. I yelped, and raced after them.

"Where are they going!?" Sanji shouted at me, clinging desperately to the Lapin's back. I looked behind me as we entered the tree line.

"I think we're trying to go around?" I said uncertainly, not bothering to dodge any trees.

"I like these guys!" Luffy whooped, having the time of his life.

"Make sure to keep Nami steady!" Sanji and I reminded him in synch.

"What would those Lapin get by jumping up and down?" Sanji mused, furrowing his brow.

"Aching feet?" I suggested, "exercise? More muscle? Dominance? Dizzy?"

"An avalanche?" Sanji suggested as a roar was heard in the distance. The two Lapins who were accompanying us pricked their ears up and then jumped up into the tops of the trees, using their weight to swing from tree to tree at a must faster rate than they had previously been going. I muttered a little crossly and sped up myself.

As I flew up over the trees, I chanced a glance behind us, and dread filled my stomach.

"IT'S RIGHT BEHIND US!"


	33. Chapter 33

Hi everyone!

No, this isn't a chapter, and I'm really sorry about that. I am working on Ghostly Crewmate still, but where I left off was as far as I had gotten in the plotline I had worked out. Because of that, I needed to make another plotline, and then I decided that hey, why not make it an alternate universe (kinda) after Alabasta? I mean, of course Robin, Franky, and Brooke would still be on the crew, but it would be a different storyline.

Since I like to be well prepared, I'm working on that AU plotline currently, and I would like to get it up to just before the time-skip before I start up again with uploading chapters (it's to combat writers block).

Coupling that with writing a plotline for my own book series as well as the fact that college is starting soon…yeah, we're going hiatus for a while. Probably should have put this up sooner and not have just…not done anything…

TEMPORARY! I REPEAT! TEMPORARY ONLY! This _will_ be worked on. Soon. Possibly. As soon as that plotline up until the timeskip is done. Which I'm _definitely not_ procrastinating on…

Seriously though, an AU plotline is hard to write. I'm thinking of keeping it close to the original plotline, but with small changes that build up to something big or something.

There is a Drifter arc that I've already kinda hinted at in the last chapter that'll make you guys cry though. Heh. Looking forward to that.

When I do update again, make sure to read this chapter (haitus note) first, because I'll be replacing it with the actual chapter.


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